The Memory Seal
by Danny'sGhostGirl
Summary: Sequel to GBPII: It's been a year since Danny's passing, and it seems rather hopeless that he could be a ghost; however, things go crazy when the ghost of Plasmius returns along with Danny who now appears to be evil as well! Now his friends must go on a dangerous journey to retrieve Danny's lost memories, but will they succeed before Danny and Plasmius destroy the entire town?
1. One Year

**DGG: I think it's finally ready! This chapter is at least. Lo and behold, it is the third story in my Danny Phantom trilogy. Would you like to know how long I've had this idea trapped in my head? Since probably around the time I wrote The Ghost Boy Prophecy if not shortly after that. So for at least 5 or 6 years. That's crazy! **

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it. A lot of people have been asking about this story, and I'm very pleased to finally be able to post it.**

**It is rated 'T' for talking about murder, and that will be in later chapters. Nothing is gory or descriptive about it. They merely mention it, so don't worry. It's fine.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Danny Phantom. I'm just writing for fun, and oh what fun it is. **

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"One year. It has been exactly one year since our town's battle with Plasmius and his horde of minions. One year since Tucker Foley, Samantha Manson, Jasmine Fenton, and Valerie Gray risked their lives to save ours. It's been a year since the town of Amity Park band together to expel all the ghosts from our town. And it has been one year since Danny Fenton gave his life to protect all of us," spoke the regal, robust, strong-voiced female mayor of Amity Park.

The African American woman, dressed in an all-red suit, stood at her podium and looked out into the massive crowd. The citizens, dressed in their most formal attire, met in the center of town to commemorate the anniversary of their town hero's death. It was tough for the entire city. Most people were crying already while many had their heads bowed solemnly.

Sitting upon the wooden, makeshift stage behind the mayor was the entire Fenton family, along with Sam, Tuck, and Valerie. Strong sobs escaped the red-headed mother, her husband holding her comfortingly. The four teens onstage were also having a hard time keeping their tears inside. Silent tears and sniffles escaped the red-headed teen, Jazz, as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Tucker let a few sobs escape him every now and then, trying his best to muffle them. Valerie Gray was doing the best of not letting any tears or sobs out; however, tears were glossing over her eyes. Sam, the Goth of the group, was crying almost as hard as her late friend's mother.

The mayor continued.

"I know we all feel guilty. None of us feel that we are worthy of Danny's sacrifice, especially after forcing him to run away beforehand. But there have been minimal ghost attacks since that fateful day. Danny's sacrifice will help to protect this entire town for years to come. But I know that even with that small glimmer of hope, it doesn't help ease the pain of what has happened.

"We have all been holding on to the small sliver of hope that Danny has maybe gone from half to whole ghost, that perhaps he may be somewhere within the Ghost Zone. Every day since his funeral last year, Jazz, Sam, Tuck, and Valerie have ventured into the Ghost Zone in order to find their lost friend, our fallen hero. Unfortunately, they have returned without him every time. We all wait on our toes for their return every day, and I know it is unpleasant to hear, but it becomes less likely to find him with each passing day. I do not want to believe that he is gone forever either. I know we all long for his return, but at this point, it is more likely that he has passed on to the other side. He is in a better place now. He still watches us every day. Perhaps it is his watchful gaze from the heavens that helps keep our town safe now. But wherever Danny Fenton is now, I hope that he can see what we have for him."

The mayor motioned with her left hand toward a large, tarp-covered sculpture to her left, the entire town looking in that direction. The mayor nodded and a few volunteers untied the tarp, allowing it to fall to the ground, revealing the statue underneath.

"We dedicate this effigy to one Daniel Lee Fenton for his bravery, courage, and dedication to his home town. The statue and its base are sculpted from marble. A gold placard on the base tells about his heroism. It shows him in his ghost form, standing vigilantly so in this way, it will be like he is still here with us, keeping us all safe with his watchful gaze. This will help to keep the memory of Danny Fenton alive for generations to come."

The massive crowd then began to form a line, each person taking little flowers and gifts to place in front of the newly resurrected statue. Many sniffles and muffled sobs could be heard as each person paid their proper respects for the second time now. The group on the stage watched as everyone laid something down in front of the statue. Even Dash Baxter, the blonde star of the football team who constantly picked on Danny in school, had tears in his eyes as he put a tiny, plastic football at the base of the sculpture. Many people placed flowers all around it while a few of them placed some thank-you cards on the ground.

Sam stared at the face of the large likeness of her best friend. It still seemed impossible. Danny just couldn't be gone. They had just gotten him back. It still seemed like yesterday that they had found him and yet at the same time it seemed like a lifetime ago since they had last seen him. The Goth couldn't take anymore. She bowed her head, gripping the black skirt she was wearing tightly. Tucker, who was sitting to her right, placed his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. He, too, was on the verge of completely breaking down.

The African American male looked at the rest of the people on stage with him. He was on the end of the row. Sitting to Sam's left was Danny's sister, Jazz. Her face was flushed red, and she was panting heavily as she attempted to stop her own sobs. Next to her was her mother, Maddie, who had been crying since before the ceremony began. Jack, her husband, was next to her holding her tightly while crying, himself. On the other end was Valerie. Tuck couldn't hear anything from her, but she was now hunched over with her face in her hands with her shoulders shaking. Tucker sighed. The overwhelming pain of Danny's loss still wore heavy on everyone's hearts. It was almost too much to bear. Who was he kidding? It was too much to bear.

"Sam," his voice cracked with tears as he spoke, "do you want to leave?"

The girl shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, Tucker," she sobbed.

The boy frowned; however, he knew his friend wouldn't go anywhere. He couldn't blame her. He didn't want to leave the ceremony either, despite all the pain it was bringing.

Finally, the crowd making its way to Danny's statue was thinning out. There seemed to be hundreds if not thousands of little flowers and trinkets surrounding the large statue. When most of the citizens had returned to their seats in front of the stage, the mayor cleared her throat.

"And now, Tucker Foley has offered to say a few words," the mayor motioned with her right hand for the boy to come forward, then stepped off to the left of the platform to make room for him.

The crowd remained silent as the boy made his way to the podium. He gulped at the massive crowd as he tugged on his blue suit and pulled at the blue tie around his neck. Sure he could fight ghosts, but that seemed easy compared with talking to a gargantuan group of people. He closed his green eyes for a moment. He was up here on Danny's behalf. Finally, he took a deep, somber breath and opened his eyes.

"I…um...didn't prepare anything formal for this," he admitted. "Any time I tried writing something down I just broke down. So I just figured I could wing it, you know? So here goes.

"I've known Danny since pre-school, maybe even before that. We'd been through thick and thin together. We were inseparable. Since we met, we'd seen each other mostly every day. Before school, during school, at lunch, recess, after school, weekends, holidays, birthdays, whenever. And one day Danny became half-ghost. He devoted his life to protecting each and every one of us from the ghosts that came through the Fenton Portal with help from Sam, Jazz, and me. At first, you guys didn't even realize there was anyone protecting you from anything. Yet, despite how poorly you treated Danny in his human form, he kept on defending all of you. Everyone knew he was a nice guy, but then Plasmius showed up, spewing lies about how there was some evil, half-ghost living in the town who wanted to destroy all of us.

"You have absolutely no idea how scared out of his mind Danny was when all of you were conducting your little ghost hunts. He didn't know what to do or say. Yet despite how crazy the town became, he still tried protecting everyone. I know things became a little crazy when Danny defeated Plasmius that first time. But it wasn't his fault. He had absorbed a bunch of negative energy, which caused him to act so…coldly and evilly. Then he ran away because everyone seemed to be afraid of him.

"Sam, Jazz, and I ventured into the Ghost Zone to find him and bring him back home last year. When we did find him, he was set and determined to never return. However, he was now in self-exile for a different reason. He wasn't really afraid to return because of how he was suddenly viewed here. He was afraid to return because his prophecy told him that he had the chance of dying if he ever did. However, when he saw what Plasmius had done to our home, he knew he couldn't just leave. He had to stay here and rescue all of you. And he made the ultimate sacrifice."

Tucker stopped briefly as he heard his best friend's mother begin to wail again along with Jazz and Sam. At the sound of their crying, Tuck found that he was starting to get a little choked up as well. He closed his eyes again in an attempt to stop any tears from falling, and his breathing quickened as he attempted to withhold his own sobs.

"His…his death shocked every one of us," Tuck continued, his voice less than steady. "I've seen the sadness in everyone's eyes. You felt bad for driving Danny away, and when he finally came back, you never had the chance to say 'sorry' or 'thanks'," the tears began flowing down his cheeks. "We all miss Danny, not just those of us who were closest to him. But I'm sure that wherever he is now, he's happy."

Everyone watched as Tucker bowed his head and began to cry as well. The town had already had a hard enough time keeping their emotions in check this morning, and seeing the teen at the podium lose it caused many of the citizens to start sobbing again as well. The mayor walked over and placed her hands comfortingly on the boy's shoulders who sniffled as he looked back out into the sea of faces.

"He's happy," Tuck continued. "If he is w-watching us, then…then I know he's h-happy to see that…that the people he g-grew up with…actually do care. We've all c-come…a long way. And I'm sure… that w-wherever D-Danny is…he is p-proud of his h-hometown."

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**DGG: So there's the first chapter. Please review if you get the chance!**


	2. Affirmation

**DGG: Hello, all. I'm back. Thanks for reading and reviewing the last chapter. Here's chapter two!**

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"_Quit?" all the breath left the black-haired teen. "You mean you just want us to give up?"_

_ "No, Sam, it's not like that…" began Jazz._

_ The four teens were currently standing outside the Fenton household._

_ "Danny's our best friend! He's your brother! How can you guys even begin to suggest that he's not in the Ghost Zone?" her shock was slowly being replaced by anger._

_ "Remember what the mayor said?" Valerie spoke up. "Every day that we come back without him only increases the chances that he's not even there. We can't keep searching for him forever, Sam. He wouldn't want that."_

_ "How would you know what he wants?" she snapped at the once-popular girl. "You only came into this picture recently! The rest of us have known Danny all our lives! Who are you to say what he would want!"_

_ "Sam, I may not have been friends with him, but I've gone to school with all of you since kindergarten. Our school's not that big. I may not have really spoken to any of you, but I definitely saw you all hang out together every day. You were all extremely close. I just feel that he wouldn't want you guys wasting…"_

_ "We're not wasting anything! We're looking for Danny!" Sam interrupted her._

_ "Sam, chill out," Tuck stepped in between the two females. "Listen. We all knew when we started this that there was a chance that Danny may not be a ghost."_

_ "Well, he was already half ghost! Why wouldn't he just become a full-fledged one?"_

_ "Sam, this isn't an easy decision for any of us," Jazz frowned. "He's my brother. I don't want to quit looking, but…"_

_ "Then don't!" barked the Goth. "If you don't want to quit searching, then don't!"_

_ "Sam, please listen to us!" the male cried. "Valerie's right. We can't just keep searching for Danny for the rest of our lives. I mean, Sam, the Ghost Zone is ever-growing. We can only go so far in before we have to come back. We probably haven't even made it half-way through. It's just too big to search it all."_

_ "Then we'll stay in there longer. We can camp out in the Specter Speeder! We know how to navigate through the Ghost Zone. We can do this!" the Goth cried frantically._

_ "Sam, listen to yourself!" exclaimed Valerie. "I know I have the least experience with traveling into the Ghost Zone, but from the year I've spent going through it with the three of you to help you search for Danny, I've seen that it's extremely vast and ever-changing. I really don't think that we can find him, Sam."_

_ "Then you're not trying hard enough!" the Goth stamped her foot._

_ "Sam, calm down," the red-head held her hands up in front of her. "Don't let your feelings for Danny cloud your judgment. We're not giving up. We just can't keep doing this right now."_

_ "It's only been a year! One year! We can't quit now!" she argued._

_ "Sam, it's not 'quitting'. It's…"_

_ "Giving up on your best friend?" Sam finished haughtily for the male._

_ "Sam, that's not fair," he frowned, his shoulders slumping._

_ "What's not fair is the fact that you're giving up the fact that Danny's still in there somewhere! I know he's out there! I can feel it!" the Goth placed a hand over her heart._

_ "And maybe he is, but there's still no telling where he might be," Valerie shook her head._

_ Sam immediately glared daggers at her while rounding on her yet again._

_ "This was all your idea, wasn't it? You helped us with one little fight, and now you think you know us? You think you know Danny? You were one of the people who chased him out of the town in the first place! You're partially the reason he's dead!"_

_ "Sam!" Jazz gawked. _

_ "I know what I did. It's not like I or the rest of the town meant for this to happen," Valerie attempted to speak evenly. "But all we're saying is that we can't keep up the search. If we obsess over it, then we really will just waste our lives away on this one thing. I know he's your friend. I know the loss is great, but there's just a limit to how much we can do. Tuck's right. We can only go so far. We just can't search the entire ghostly realm. And if he is out there, then there's a chance that he's attempting to find his way back to us anyway."_

_ "Listen, Valerie! I don't need your long, thought-out explanations," Sam snapped while pointing her finger at her. "I don't care if you think you have this all figured out. The truth is that you are not a part of this gang! You don't understand any of us, and I'd appreciate it if you would just shove off and leave his real friends to find him."_

_ "Sam, this isn't all Valerie's idea," Tuck stepped in to head off the catfight that was about to ensue._

_ The Goth blinked her eyes at her oldest friend._

_ "You guys can't be serious. You can't honestly be siding with her!"_

_ "Sam, you have to understand," Jazz began. "We don't want to stop searching. None of us do. We all want Danny to still be here, but he was young enough that he probably didn't have any unfinished business. He was only fourteen. We can't keep searching when we've found absolutely no clues or leads that suggest he's in there. I'm sorry, Sam."_

_ "And how do your parents feel about this, Jazz? Do they agree with this?"_

_ "We haven't told them yet…"_

_ "And do you honestly believe that they'll just be okay with this decision?"_

_ "No, I don't," Jazz placed her hands on her hips. "They're just as heartbroken as the rest of us, Sam. But even they're having doubts about Danny being a ghost now. It has been a year."_

_ "Yeah! And the Ghost Zone is huge!" Sam countered._

_ "Exactly! That's why we can't search it all!"_

_ "But we should at least try!"_

_ "We did try, Sam!" the red-head cried in exasperation. "And there's nothing saying that we won't go back there, but until that day comes then we have to call it quits. We all miss him, Sam. This is hard for everyone, not just you."_

_ "I can't believe this," Sam glowered at each of them. "You're throwing away our friendship with Danny at the request of some outsider all because she says it's been a year?"_

_ "Hey! I'm not the bad guy here!" Valerie shouted while motioning to herself. _

_ "You may as well be. You always treated us like crud!"_

_ "That was before!"_

_ "You know what? I don't care. Get out of my way!" cried Sam as she shoved past the teens on the steps of the Fenton home._

_ "Where are you going?" asked Tuck._

_ "Into the Ghost Zone. I'm not giving up on Danny."_

_ "Are you crazy?" the techno-geek grabbed onto Sam's arm. "You can't go in there alone."_

_ "Then come with me!"_

_ "Sam, I'm sorry…" the boy frowned while shaking his head._

_ The Goth ripped her arm out of the male's hands. _

_ "Fine. Then consider this over," she turned and stormed off toward her own home._

_ "What do you mean?" Tuck called after her, but she remained silent. "Sam! Sam, wait!" _

The Goth teen sat in her room on her bed. She had taken to staying in her room most of the time ever since her fight with her friends. It still ran through her mind like it had just happened even though it happened roughly two weeks ago.

She sighed. How could they? How could they just call off the search? Danny was their friend – their best friend! She placed her head in her hands as she thought about Valerie. This was her doing! She had been helping them search for Danny ever since his death last year, and Sam really wasn't that keen on letting the other girl join their group in the first place.

Ever since Valerie joined the picture she attempted to be the unsung leader of the group, and Sam had challenged her status every step of the way. If Valerie said one thing, Sam tried to overrule it. It's not that the Goth didn't trust the town's new ghost hunter. It was just that she didn't like "the new kid" weaseling her way to the top of the food chain so quickly. Why should Valerie get a say in anything they do? It should be Tucker, Jazz, and herself making most of the decisions, not Valerie. Yet to the Goth it seemed that Tuck and Jazz seemed all-too-eager to let Valerie take over.

Sam sighed as she pulled her knees up to her chest, then rested her chin on her kneecaps. She knew she was just being silly. Valerie couldn't be doing it on purpose, could she? Why would she? Sam was stubborn, and her temper had gotten the better of her, but with all this time to herself she'd had some time to think. She would never agree with stopping the search. Never. But they may have had a point. If Danny wasn't out there, and they kept searching for the rest of their lives, then finding him would become their unfinished business. But even with their reasoning behind their actions, she still couldn't shake the feeling that Danny was still out there.

That feeling had been nagging at her for over a year now. She just knew he was out there somewhere, and no matter what anyone else said she just knew differently. She'd actually begun thinking that maybe she was acting a little crazy. After all, she did have a crush on him. Maybe she was just thinking with her heart and ignoring logic. Then again maybe she had good reason to think with her heart.

A year went by and everyone was starting to believe that Danny really wasn't a ghost. The mayor thought it. Valerie thought it. Her friends now thought it. Yet she still couldn't shake the feeling that he was still out there somewhere. She wanted to forgive her friends. She wanted to talk to them again, but the thought of them trusting Valerie's word over hers was what kept her riveted to her bed.

She knew Danny was in the Ghost Zone. She knew he wanted to be found. And last night only reaffirmed those feelings. Last night he told her so…

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**DGG: Please review! **


	3. Unexpected Faces

**DGG: Hello, everyone. I have returned! Thanks for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. Here's chapter three!**

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"So you haven't spoken to her at all?" asked Valerie as she, Tuck, and Jazz were walking home from school one afternoon.

Jazz shook her head with a frown.

"No. We've tried reaching her any way we could. Phone, computer, in person. She just doesn't want anything to do with us. I was hoping she'd cool down and think about what we were trying to say, but I guess that was just wishful thinking on my part."

"Yeah. I don't think I've ever seen her this upset before. I can't say that I'm the happiest about deciding to call off the search either, but what else can we do?" said Tuck, his shoulders slumped.

"I know," Valerie exhaled. "I just hate that she's blaming me for the decision. I know I suggested it, but I was just…I don't know," she shrugged. "I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers between you guys. I know you've all known each other for years."

"Don't worry about it, Valerie. It's not your fault," the older female gave her a curt smile.

"But she liked Danny, didn't she?" queried the African American female.

"Oh, yeah. Big time," answered Tuck, a small smile playing on his lips.

"So her heart's broken. She doesn't want to give up the search for Danny because she wants him back here so badly. But what would she do if he was here again? Would she tell him how she felt? It would almost seem pointless now that he's dead."

"Whoa. Harsh, Val," scolded Tuck.

"Sorry," the trio stopped walking. "All I'm saying is that she's extra determined to find him. He clearly meant a lot to her. Probably even more than that."

"Yeah, we understand why she's so angry, but…" Tuck trailed off.

"But?" Valerie raised an eyebrow.

"But we wish she could just see it our way. I think she's letting her feelings for Danny cloud her better judgment," explained the red head as she adjusted the books she was holding in her arms. "I mean, it wasn't an easy decision. You know that. You were there while we were discussing it. The thought of Danny actually still being out there somewhere made it a hard decision to make. But…if he is out there, he'd be making his way back to Amity Park, don't you think?"

"I'd think so," Valerie nodded. "He wouldn't just purposely stay away from his hometown. If he is out there, maybe he's just exploring other places for awhile, going where he never could while he was alive or something. I don't know. I want him back here too if he is a ghost, but if he's not a ghost, then that's great. Most people would rather be in Heaven than be a ghost anyway, right?"

"Definitely," agreed Tuck with a small smile.

The teens stood in an awkward silence for a moment. Each seemed to not want to make eye contact with the other as they either looked toward their feet or averted their eyes to something in the distance. The words sank in as they continued to stand. Valerie bit her lip nervously as she finally made the first cautious glance back up at her friends.

"Do you guys really believe that, or do you think we're just trying to find reasons to justify what we did?" winced the African-American female.

"I don't know. Maybe we didn't make the right decision, after all," Tuck frowned. "I know something's been nagging at the back of my mind ever since we called it off."

Jazz nodded in agreement with him.

"Well, there's nothing saying we can't go back in to look sometimes, right?" Valerie brightened. "I mean, we can cut back and not go in every day, right?"

"Right," Jazz smiled. "Maybe Sam would talk to us again if we did that."

"I hope so," Tuck smiled at her.

"Hey, how are your parents holding up, Jazz? Are they all right?" Valerie suddenly changed the subject.

"They have their good days and bad days. Mom's been really upset ever since the ceremony though. She said she's happy that they erected a monument to Danny, but she can't look at it without just bursting into tears. She still can't believe he's gone."

"None of us can," Tuck cut in. "I mean, he'd been missing for months, everyone was finally coming around, realizing that they'd run off their hero. He came back, but he died before anyone could truly do anything. Just like that he was gone all over again. It's a bittersweet slap in the face."

Valerie nodded.

"So, hey. About going in and searching for Danny again. You guys wanna do that tonight?" the male asked hopefully.

Valerie chuckled.

"I would, but I'm doing some ghost rounds tonight. You guys can help out if you want to."

"Really?" blinked the tech-geek, a small tinge of excitement evident in his voice.

"It might be fun," she stopped and thought about her words for a moment. "Well, actually it might not be that fun. Not many ghosts come around anymore. The Box Ghost pops up a lot though. I almost feel like ignoring him now. He doesn't really do anything…"

"I guess Danny and Plasmius' final battle really shook up all the ghosts, but I would think that they would come out here more often to make trouble now that they know Danny's not around," Jazz pointed out.

"Eh. They probably remember that they stupidly trained the entire town to be ghost hunters. And they probably remember me. I was _the_ ghost hunter," Valerie smiled smugly.

"Probably," Tuck chuckled. "They taught you too well, which was good for us in the end."

"Definitely. So what do you two say? You wanna help scout out the town tonight?"

Tuck and Jazz looked at one another.

"What do you say, Jazz? For old time's sake?"

"Sure, why not?" the older teen shrugged with a smile.

"Awesome! I'll meet you guys in front of the school around seven. Sound good?"

"It's a plan," nodded the red head.

"Great. See ya then," Valerie waved as she split off from the group to head to her own home.

"This is great, Jazz. It'll be just like old times!" exclaimed Tuck.

"Sort of," she smiled sadly.

"Hey, searching for ghostly activity always gets me excited!"

"What _doesn't_ get you excited?" the older teen laughed.

"Tofu," Tuck stuck out his tongue in disgust. "I don't see how Sam can stand the stuff."

"Speaking of Sam, do you think we should go tell her about deciding to search for Danny again?"

"I don't see why you wouldn't."

The two teens turned around to find a disgruntled Sam in the shadows, leaning against one of the many brick buildings in the town.

"Sam," Tuck blinked in surprise. "You're…here!"

"Yeah," the Goth frowned as she stepped forward into the sunlight. The raven-haired female thought she had been getting over Valerie being around; however, seeing them speaking with her only caused her original feelings to flare up again. "I was going to talk to you two, but I see you still only do what Valerie says."

"What? How much of the conversation did you hear?" asked Jazz, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"Enough of it," the Goth snapped, causing the other two teens to reel back in surprise.

"Well, we have good news. We've decided to…"

"Search for Danny again? Yeah, I know. I heard that part," Sam finished for the boy.

"Whoa, what's wrong? We thought you'd be happy about that, Sam," Jazz furrowed her brows with a confused frown.

"I'd be happy if Valerie wasn't the one to suggest the idea. Wasn't she the one who got you to call off the search in the first place? What, did she feel guilty and change her mind?" Sam folded her arms across her chest.

"What? No, Sam! We've all been wondering about this decision," countered the male. "And she wasn't the one to plant the idea in our heads. We were thinking about it even before she brought it up."

"Yeah, that makes me feel a whole lot better!" the Goth teen rolled her eyes.

"Sam, that's not what he meant," Jazz interjected as she held out her left arm to calm the younger female down. "We've been toying with this idea for a few weeks now."

"What? You mean ever since you made the decision to call off the search?"

"Yeah. Since day one, Sam," the red-head frowned, putting her arm down.

"And it took Valerie's prodding to finally make you actually want to look again?"

"No, Sam!" the female yelled. "Valerie didn't make us want to again!"

"But you're still more than willing to go ghost hunting with her? Like we did with Danny?"

The two teens exchanged glances with each other.

"Is that the problem? That we said okay?" Tuck raised an eyebrow.

"It's like you're replacing him all over again," Sam huffed.

"Sam, we never replaced Danny," Jazz shook her head.

"Well, you so willingly welcomed Valerie in to fill up the vacancy that Danny left!" Sam yelled heatedly.

"It's not like that at all, and you know it!" the male defended. "We never replaced Danny with Valerie."

"Well, I don't know. She sure seems to like taking his place! She filled in as the fourth person in our group. She goes around nearly every night patrolling the town for ghostly activity just like Danny did!"

"Sam, don't do this," the red-head frowned. "Don't think like this. I know you're upset, but don't turn Valerie into the bad guy. You know she's not trying to nudge in on Danny's space. Nothing can ever replace my brother. Nothing. You know that."

A tense silence fell over the trio for a few moments. The wind rustled by as the three kept their eyes looking anywhere but at each other.

"I still don't like it," Sam finally spoke.

"We know, Sam. We know," Jazz mumbled quietly.

"We haven't seen you since that fight," Tuck changed the subject. "You said you wanted to talk to us. What about?"

"I don't know. Will my opinion matter, or does Valerie have to be here to make that decision for you?" Sam glared.

"Come on, Sam, don't do this," pleaded the male. "We know you're upset about Valerie. But she's not trying to weasel her way into Danny's spot."

"We're your friends, Sam, you know that. So what did you want to talk to us about?" asked Jazz.

"About Danny, of course," the Goth frowned.

"About searching for him again?" asked Tuck.

"No, I just…I just wanted to ask you guys something," the Goth took a deep breath, rubbing her hands up and down her arms nervously. "Does Danny…talk to you?"

"What?" Jazz blinked.

"Has he ever…spoken to you? Like through your dreams?"

"Has he been talking to you?" Tuck raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind. Forget it," Sam started to walk away.

"Whoa, hold on a second!" Tuck ran after her and grabbed her by the shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"Look, I already got my answer. I don't need anything else, Tuck!"

"You never answered his question," Jazz jumped in. "Has he been talking to you?"

"Look I know it sounds crazy!" Sam whipped around. "But I've been having these really vivid dreams."

"And Danny's in them?" asked the older teen.

"Not exactly. I'm just surrounded by darkness. All I can do is hear his voice, and he sounds like he's in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" asked Tuck.

"I don't know. His sentences are really disconnected. He always jumbles things together. But the one thing I know for sure is that he needs my help. He's calling out to me to find him."

"You really think it's Danny?" Tuck raised his eyebrow. "I mean I've had dreams where Danny was still with us. It was painful to wake up and remember he really wasn't here, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I was actually chilling with him."

"You've clearly never had one of these dreams! I can tell it's not just a dream. It's really Danny!"

"But if it was really Danny, then why didn't he reach out to you before now? If he was out there, why wait until now to say anything?" asked Jazz.

"You're talking like he's not out there! If you think he isn't, then why even bother with trying to search for him again?" Sam hissed.

"No, I'm not saying he isn't out there!" Jazz held up her hands defensively. "I'm just saying that why wait a year?"

"I don't know, Jazz! Maybe he couldn't reach out until now!"

"But how can you be absolutely sure it isn't just a dream?" asked Tuck.

"Trust me! It's real! I can feel it! You two don't have to believe me. I just wanted to see if I was the only one he was reaching out to. Maybe he realizes who his true friend is," Sam turned to storm away again.

"What does that mean?" demanded the male.

"It means that I was the only one who was against stopping the search! Maybe he knows that!"

"Sam, that's not fair!" cried Jazz. "We're practically starting the same fight all over again!"

"You're the ones who don't believe me!" she whipped back around to scold them.

"Well it seems a little hard to believe, Sam. You have to admit that…" Tuck winced.

"Forget it," she turned around once again and stormed off once and for all.

"Sam, come on!" Tuck called after her.

"No! If you're going to disregard the fact that Danny really is talking to me, and if you're going to replace him with Valerie, then be my guest! I'm done talking with you guys."

"Sam! That's not what's going on! You're just twisting everything around into what you want it to be!" Jazz cried, but the Goth didn't answer. She didn't even turn around. She just left the two other teens standing on the corner.

"Should…should we go after her?" asked Tuck. "I have no idea what to do!"

"She has a lot on her mind. We all do. We'll try again tomorrow, Tuck," Jazz placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I guess so. I thought we were almost square for a minute there, but then…" the boy took a deep breath. "Do you really think it's Danny in those dreams?"

"I don't know," the girl frowned as she retracted her hand. "I know she had strong feelings for him, so it could just be her feelings overriding her better judgment."

"Like what we thought all along?"

"Exactly. I don't' know, Tuck."

"I'm starting to think she isn't ever going to come around on this subject. At least not while Valerie's around."

"Me too, Tuck," Jazz sighed. "But she's our friend. And we're going to have to respect her wishes."

"What do you mean?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I mean that maybe we shouldn't go out patrolling with Valerie tonight."

"What!" Tuck cried.

"At least until she cools down, Tuck. You know how upset she was by that. Maybe we shouldn't."

The geek sighed.

"But…I love patrolling for ghosts…" he pouted.

"I know you do, Tucker, but what's more important? Ghosts or Sam?"

"Definitely Sam," he smiled. "All right. But pushing Valerie out of the picture isn't going to be the answer either."

"We're not going to push her out of the picture. But Sam seems really upset by her presence. I can see why she would feel the way she does, so maybe we can do her a little favor and at least not go out ghost hunting tonight."

"I guess. Come on. Let's go break the news to Valerie."

The two teens rushed back to Fenton Works where they called their friend to break the news to her. She was a little bummed, but understood their situation. She actually suggested that rather than waiting until the next day to go to Sam's to actually go and speak with her now. The two agreed, deciding not to mention to Sam that it was Valerie's idea, and headed to her home; however, they were greeted with an icy reception at the door as the Goth ordered that no one let them in. After extensive arguing that got them nowhere, they finally decided to call it quits and headed back toward Fenton Works.

"I can't believe she actually had us barred from her house," frowned the male as they walked.

"I know. I knew she was angry, but I never thought she'd go this far!"

"This is insane!"

"I know."

"Did we really ruin our friendship with her?" Tuck stopped, staring numbly at the pavement.

Jazz turned around, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I hope not, Tuck. I really hope not."

"WHOA!" came a sudden cry from a few streets over.

"Whoa, did you hear that?" Tuck asked, immediately snapping his head up.

"Yeah. It sounded like Valerie!" cried Jazz.

"It kind of sounded like it came from the park. Let's go."

"Right!" nodded the red-head.

The duo quickly rushed down the street, racing by many confused faces. It took them a few minutes to get to the park, and when they arrived they found a small crowd amassing around Valerie where the newly erected statue used to stand.

"Valerie!" Tuck cried as he and Jazz rushed by the other people to get to her side.

She groaned as Tuck propped her up. Her red suit was badly charred, and her hood had fallen off, revealing her scuffed up skin.

"Valerie, what happened? Where's Danny's statue?" he asked frantically.

"He…he just came out of nowhere," the female squeaked. "He's…he's a ghost…a full ghost now."

"Who? Danny?"

"No," she shook her head weakly.

Tuck and Jazz exchanged worried glances with one another as the female on the ground lost consciousness. Before she passed out, just barely above a whisper, so that only the two teens would hear she uttered one word:

Plasmius.

* * *

**DGG: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Please remember to review!**


	4. Scheming

_"Sam…Sam, please…help me…"_

_ The Goth teen once again walked around in the darkness, looking around wildly for a glimpse of her friend. Just like the many times before, there was just blackness and the sound of his disembodied voice._

_ "Danny," she frowned._

"_I…I don't know where I am…"_

_ "Danny, please," begged Sam. "I know you're somewhere in the Ghost Zone, but I have no idea where to look. You have to help me out here just a little bit!"_

_ "I…don't know…you need to help me. The lies, Sam…he's filling my head with them…"_

_ "Who's filling your head with lies?"_

_ "Sam, help me! Help me, please! Please find me!" the boy's voice strained._

_ "Where should I look though? I have no idea where you could be!"_

_ "Help me!"_

_ "Danny…"_

_ "There isn't much time! He's…he's going to…my mom…Amity Park…ruin me…"_

_ "What?" Sam raised an eyebrow._

_ "My family, Sam…the lies…me…Amity Park…find me before…too late."_

_ "Danny, you're not making any sense," the teen shook her head._

_ "FIND ME!"_

Sam awoke with another jerk. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Her friend sounded desperate and a little frightened. She couldn't even begin to imagine what must be happening to him.

"I wish I could help you out, Danny. I wish I could."

She placed her right hand over her eyes as she thought everything through. Danny needed help. That much was certain. But how could she help him while she was in the midst of fighting with her friends? How could she forgive them for practically making Valerie their new ring leader? Sam sighed as she dropped her hand down beside her. She hated this feeling. She was trapped between a rock and hard place because of this. She knew she shouldn't be fighting with Jazz and Tuck, but she just felt like they were – whether they were conscious of it or not – replacing Danny, and she refused to let Valerie weasel her way into Danny's spot. Then again, if she didn't suck up her pride and stubbornness, then she'd never get a chance to rescue Danny!

The teen groaned. She may not have liked Valerie being Danny's successor, but she wasn't that bad of a person, despite whatever Sam wanted to think about her.

Suddenly the Goth's thoughts were interrupted by a gaggle of voices coming from outside. Curiosity got the better of her as she went to the window and opened the black curtains, light pouring into the room. There were people all over the streets murmuring about something, so the girl opened her window and listened.

"How could this have happened?" someone asked.

"Is Valerie all right?" asked another.

"How could the entire statue be gone?"

"I heard that a horde of ghosts attacked Valerie last night."

"There's not a single shred of the statue left. It's like it was never even there. There's just a rut in the ground where it used to stand."

"Wasn't Tucker Foley the one who found her?"

"Who would steal our statue?"

Sam furrowed her eyebrows as she took in everyone's jumbled words. Danny's statue was…missing? She closed her bedroom window and walked back over to her bed. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. The dreams she was having along with this new development just didn't sit well with the Goth. She knew they had to be connected somehow. She put her head in her hands. What was Danny trying to tell her?

* * *

"Hold on, so Plasmius is back?" Jazz's jaw practically hit the floor. "He's a full-blown ghost now? How…how could this be?"

Jazz and Tucker were currently at Valerie's home, where she was taking it easy in bed.

"Well, he was a bitter, old man," pointed out Tucker while sitting backwards on her black desk chair. "He probably does have a lot of unfinished business."

"I'm telling you, it was him! He attacked me. He just seemed to come out of the shadows or something," the injured girl cried out in frustration. "He just wanted the statue. I don't know why. He knocked me out, and the next thing I knew Tuck was there and the statue was gone. I don't get it. Of all the things he could possibly do to Amity Park, why steal a likeness of Danny?"

"Well, we know that it would have to be a part of a bigger plot," said Tuck, leaning forward on the back of the chair.

"I just can't believe that Plasmius is still around," Jazz put a hand to her head as she paced across the room. "I mean, it never even occurred to me at all this past year that maybe Plasmius could be a ghost now. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Tucker shook his head.

"And why would he just come back to destroy a memorial to Danny?" Valerie continued to rant. "I'm sure he would be sore about it – beyond sore – but really? That's all?"

"Like I said, it has to be a part of something bigger. I'm sure this won't be the last we've seen of him," said Tuck.

"So what do we do in the meantime?" asked Jazz, looking between the two. "We know he'll be back, but what can we do to prepare? He took out Valerie like she was nothing."

"Hey!" the girl snapped while propping herself up on her elbows. "He only took me out because he got the jump on me!"

"Sure, but he's the one who gave you that outfit, right? He'd probably know how to override it or something," Tuck pointed out.

"He wouldn't dare!"

"He's the bad guy, Valerie," Jazz raised an eyebrow. "If he can, he certainly will. Don't put anything past him."

"Okay, well what do we do until he comes back? Whenever that will be…" the ghost hunter grumbled as she laid back down.

"Should we let anyone know that it was Plasmius who attacked last night?" asked Tuck. "I definitely don't want to alarm anyone, but we all know that he's coming back."

"I'm not sure," admitted Valerie, calming down. "So far they all have their speculations about what happened, and they're freaked out enough as it is. But whether he comes back tomorrow, or even today, we can't just keep everyone in the dark."

"And if they know, then everyone might be able to help out and prepare for an attack," smiled Tuck.

"Tucker, a year has passed," the red-head scolded him. "Just about everyone in town stopped ghost hunting after Plasmius was defeated last year. They'd all be way too rusty."

"Oh, come on, Jazz. You don't need much to know how to operate an ecto-gun."

"Tucker, this is serious!"

"I'm being serious!"

"Okay, enough you two!" Valerie sat up. "I'm sure there are still some citizens out there that would be willing to step up and help out if they wish to, but they still need to know. Plasmius is still out there. He came back here. The town needs to know."

"And who better to tell them than the town's ghost hunter?" smiled Tuck.

"Yeah. Let's go round everyone up."

"We don't need to," the tech-geek as he pulled out his PDA. "We can just hack into the town's media system. We'll broadcast the message live."

* * *

"You are refusing to help me? After everything I have done for you! How could you even think of turning your back on me!" snarled the blue-skinned ghost known as Plasmius.

The mechanical ghost hunter known as Skulker stood before him within the Ghost Zone.

"I'm sorry. But I'm not the only one who feels this way."

"And why is that?"

"We followed you into Amity Park twice now, and we were defeated twice. What makes you think that this time will be any different?"

"You're doubting my skills?" Plasmius glared.

"Well, you certainly don't have a very credible track record," Skulker matched the other ghost's glare with an icy one of his own. "Besides, the Red Huntress is still there. She's still a very skilled and powerful hunter…"

"As are you, Skulker!" Plasmius interrupted. "Are you saying that you, the greatest of all ghost hunters, are afraid of a mere mortal?"

"No. I'm saying we trained her too well, and to fill in for the whelp's absence, she kept up with that training. Notice how barely any ghost has set foot in Amity Park since last year. No one wants to face her."

"Not even you, Skulker?" Plasmius raised an eyebrow. "How different could it be from facing off against Danny?"

"She has more weapons at her disposal whereas Danny mainly used his own lackluster abilities."

"You have plenty of weapons that could take her down, Skulker!"

"We're still not following you in again," the mechanical ghost frowned.

"I see," Plasmius smirked with amusement. "Valerie is just your excuse. You truly don't trust my leadership anymore, do you? Well, what if I were to tell you that this time would be different?"

"Different?" the mechanical ghost raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes. What if I told you that this would be the last time we would ever need to attack Amity Park?"

"What makes you sound so sure?"

"Because this time no one will be able to thwart our plans. Danny certainly won't. His inept, ghost-hunting family won't. His friends certainly won't be able to stop us, and Valerie will definitely not stop us," Plasmius smirked.

"Why is that?"

"We all know that Danny was the only one able to actually fight ghosts. His friends merely did as they were instructed. Without someone barking orders at them, they won't be able to do a thing. Jack is a brainless oaf. We know he won't be able to defeat any of us. Maddie could, but you needn't worry about her. The only person that would pose any sort of threat to us would be Valerie. But I have a plan for her."

"What are you thinking?" Skulker queried.

"I was thinking that if we created her, we can also destroy her," he smirked.

"Destroy her?" Skulker blinked in surprise.

"Yes. It's all a part of my plan, Skulker. She's the head ghost hunter now. She's taken it upon herself to fill in Danny's shoes. Everyone feels safe with her protecting them. What we need to do is take away that security blanket."

"So take her out of the picture."

"That's right."

"And I'm guessing that you want me to do it?"

"Actually, Skulker, I have someone else in mind for the job."

"Who else would do it?"

"Don't worry, Skulker. There's still one ghost out there that I can count on. And once he takes care of Valerie, there will be no one left to expunge any of us from the town."

"Fine, Plasmius," Skulker huffed. "We'll do it, but this is the last time."

"Don't worry. It will be the last time. We will rip Amity Park apart by the hinges, and I will make them pay for everything! We will start by destroying Amity Park's hope for a better future. And I will do that with the ghost that will shake Amity Park right down to its very core."

* * *

**DGG: Thanks for reading! Remember to review, and I'll post the next chapter soon.**


	5. The Return

**DGG: Hello, readers. It's the chapter you've all been waiting for. I hope it doesn't disappoint!**

* * *

The citizens of Amity Park stopped what they were doing as they saw a broadcast coming over all their televisions. Everyone, whether they were in the town square, in a bar, in the electronic store, or just at home quickly rushed to the nearest TV set to see what was going on. When the static cleared on the screens, the face of their self-appointed ghost hunter appeared.

"Citizens of Amity Park," the female began, "I know you've all been talking about what happened last night, and I feel I need to clarify a few things. First off," she held up her left index finger, "there was only one ghost – a powerful ghost. He's the one who destroyed Danny's memorial. I do not know why. The only reason I can think of would be that he holds a grudge against us and Danny. This is a ghost we have seen before. He's back. Vlad Plasmius is now a whole ghost. He's the one who attacked me last night. He got rid of the statue."

Everyone watching stared at the screen with their eyes wide and mouths agape. No one knew how to react to this news. A few murmurs went around as well as a few shrieks of terror.

"I don't want anyone to be alarmed by this news yet," Valerie continued, holding up both her hands. "I know it's a shock. But I will guarantee that he will never harm another citizen in this town ever again. So long as I'm here everyone is safe. So just relax for now. Tuck, Jazz, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Fenton will keep a close watch on the town and the Fenton Portal. We won't let him anywhere near any of you. I thank-you all for listening. Please try not to get worked up about this. I know this news is huge, but we couldn't just leave you all in the dark on this."

With that the transmission cut out, leaving everyone to gather their thoughts.

Back at Valerie's Tucker put away his PDA as he looked up at the girl in front of him.

"I'm almost afraid to go outside to see how everyone's taking this," spoke Tuck.

"Me too," Valerie admitted.

"Do you think we can really keep this under control?" asked Jazz walking up beside the male. "Plasmius is strong, Valerie. Even with my parents help…"

"We'll do what we can, Jazz. What did you want me to say? That we have absolutely no clue about what to do? I know what I said wasn't exactly pretty or perfect, but had I said that then we'd definitely have mass hysteria on our hands."

"Do you guys think Sam heard?" Tuck wondered aloud.

The two females exchanged glances with one another.

"Probably," Jazz winced. "And even if she hasn't heard it first hand, then she'll definitely hear it from her parents or her grandma."

"Maybe she'll come back to help us if she knows that Plasmius is still around."

"Maybe," frowned Valerie. "I know you guys are fighting right now, but don't let that cloud your minds. We need all the strength we can muster, both physically and mentally, if we're going to have to fight with Plasmius again."

"Hey, don't disregard the whole situation with Sam!" Tucker suddenly barked, pointing his finger at her threateningly.

"I'm not disregarding it! I'm just saying that we need to focus, Tucker!"

"Tuck, Valerie, don't start up another fight!" cried Jazz as she stepped in between them. "Valerie's right, we do have to focus on the fact that Plasmius is back! If Sam wants to come and help, then she will, but until then, we need to formulate a plan for when Plasmius returns!"

The male took a deep breath, trying to quell his nerves.

"You're right. I'm sorry," he spoke.

"So what should we do first?" Jazz looked at the other female.

"I don't know. I really don't know," Valerie shook her head.

"We could go back to Jazz's," suggested Tuck. "We'd probably be able to do more there."

The girls smiled.

"Good thinking, Tucker. Let's go," agreed Valerie.

* * *

Sam paced back and forth in her room. She was still attempting to piece together everything that was going on around her. Lies. Danny kept mentioning lies. But he also mentioned his family and their hometown. No matter what she just couldn't figure out what Danny was trying to say to her. She cried out in frustration. What did all this mean? First Danny was reaching out to her, and now a ghost attack? Not to mention the missing statue. Why would a ghost want to steal a monument anyway? She rubbed her head. Nothing was making sense. She knew all these things had to be connected, but she just couldn't find the common link between them.

She sighed as she flopped down on the edge of her bed. What was she overlooking? What did Danny want her to see? He wanted to be found before it was too late. Was this what he was referring to? The Goth suddenly flopped backwards onto her cushy, black comforter as she tried to contemplate everything. Something bad was about to happen. She could feel it.

* * *

The Fenton household had been busy ever since the trio of teens arrived that day. The teens as well as the Fentons rushed about the lab in the basement going over strategies, choosing weapons, and trying to figure out what exactly Plasmius' plan could be. Eventually, everyone decided to take a break. The Fenton family each sat on the couch in the living room, with Jazz's legs lying across her parents' laps. After all the bustle from earlier, the red-head was happy to finally have a little peace. Her eyes started drooping from the stillness in the room, and soon enough she fell asleep.

_"Jazz…Jazz…"_

_ The red-head looked around, but couldn't see anything but blackness._

_ "Danny?" she squinted as though it would help her see better._

_ "Jazz…help me."_

_ "Oh my gosh, Danny! Danny, where are you?" she cried frantically while looking around._

_ "I…I don't know. Please…help me…"_

_ "Danny!"_

_ "Jazz…the lies…all the lies…"his voice strained._

_ "What lies?" she blinked._

_ "I…I can't stop it, Jazz!"_

_ "Can't stop what? Lying?" the girl raised an eyebrow._

_ "I can't stop it…Jazz…hurry!" the boy's voice was growing more urgent. _

_ "What are you talking about, Danny?"_

_ "Jazz…I'm…I'm going to…Jazz, stop me!"_

_ "Stop you from what?"_

_ "Find me, please! Find me!" the boy begged._

_ "Danny, where are you? Tell me where you are, and I'll find you!"_

_ "Jazz…danger…Main Street…Valerie…" he strained again._

_ "Valerie? What's happening with Valerie?" Jazz knitted her eyebrows together in confusion._

_ "Stop me…I can't help it…I can't stop it. Please…do something…"_

_ "Danny, what's going on?"_

_ "Valerie…dead…"_

_ "What?" Jazz shrieked._

_ "Stop me…the lies, Jazz. He's…filling my head with lies! Stop me! Valerie…Main Street…stop me…please!" Danny's voice was growing frantic again._

_ "Something's going to happen to Valerie? On Main Street?"_

_ "Stop me…Valerie…in danger…help…"_

_ "Danny…" Jazz frowned, reaching out with her right hand._

_ "Stop me…please…help me…find me…stop the lies, Jazz. Save…Valerie…from…me…"_

_ "Danny!"_

_ "SAVE HER!"_

The red-head jerked awake with a yelp, even falling off the couch.

"Jazz!" cried her father as he and his wife jumped up to help her.

"Are you all right, sweetie?" asked Maddie while extending a hand to her.

The girl sat up, rubbing her head.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she took her mother's hand, allowing her to pull her to her feet. Once she was standing, she looked around. "Where are Tucker and Valerie?"

"I'm right here," Tuck held up his left hand while he walked down the steps. "Bathroom break."

"Valerie left a little while ago. She said was going home," her mother answered her.

"Oh my gosh. Tucker, let's go!" Jazz suddenly cried as she raced toward the front door.

"What? Why?" he asked, bewildered.

"Just come on! We have to get to Valerie!"

* * *

Valerie Gray had hoped that she could just zip home that evening; however, she knew that would be too much to ask for. Earlier that day, some people had swarmed all around her, Jazz, and Tuck as they attempted to get to Fenton Works. It hadn't been too terrible, and they were able to make it to their destination soon enough. This time, however, everyone's shock seemed to have worn off, and everyone wanted answers; she was bombarded by so many people that they actually barricaded her in the middle of the street, and she just couldn't get away. The ghost hunter looked around at them, asking them if they would at least step back and give her some space.

"Valerie, is it true? Was it really Plasmius?" someone shouted.

"What does he want?" cried someone else.

"What's he planning to do?"

"When's he coming back?"

The female seemed overwhelmed with all the questions being thrown at her; however, she attempted to answer as many as she could. Little did anyone know that there was someone lurking around in the shadows watching the scene, or rather a ghost was watching the scene. Everyone had their backs to him as he slowly floated closer in order to get a better shot at his target, who just so happened to be the only person facing his direction. Fortunately for the ghost, the ghost hunter's attention was focused only on the crowd around her. He smirked as he pointed his finger at her and took aim.

* * *

"Jazz, what's going on?" Tuck panted as he ran behind the girl. "Where are we going?"

"We have to get to Valerie!" she shouted.

"For what?"

"Just trust me, Tucker. She's in danger."

"How do you know that? And where are we going?"

Suddenly Jazz came to a dead halt, nearly running into the gaggle of people surrounding Valerie. The red-head turned to look at the road sign: Main Street. She turned her head back, her eyes floating upward. A gasp immediately escaped the girl as she felt her entire body go rigid.

"Jazz, what's going on? Valerie's fine. A little overwhelmed and busy, but fine," Tuck shrugged.

"Tucker," she whispered, her eyes not moving. "Look."

The boy slowly turned his head, following his friend's gaze. Immediately his jaw dropped.

"No…no way…" he breathed.

The two teens continued to stare, watching the ghost take aim.

"What's he doing?" asked Tucker.

Jazz immediately snapped back to her senses.

"Oh no. VALERIE!" she cried while starting to shove her way through the crowd. "VALERIE! VALERIE!"

The teen's cries went unnoticed by the girl with everyone else crying out for her attention as well.

"VALERIE! LOOK OUT, VALERIE! LOOK UP! LOOK UP!" the red-head shouted.

Tucker stayed behind, still staring up toward the skies. He watched in shock as the ghost began to fire a ghost ray.

"No…No! What are you doing? Stop!" he shouted numbly, still in a state of shock.

The ghost smiled as he fired the green ray from his finger.

"DANNY, NO!" shouted Tucker.

This finally caused most of the massive crowd to turn around, gasping in shock at the ghost floating above them. Unfortunately, his attack was too close to stop.

"Valerie, no!" Jazz shoved the girl out of the way just in time. Unfortunately the ghost ray hit the red-head in the shoulder and sent her flying backwards, hitting her head on the sidewalk and knocking her out cold.

"Jazz!" the ghost hunter cried. She had fallen backward thanks to Jazz. She was in a state of shock and confusion at what just happened and crawled over to her friend.

The white-haired ghost boy hovered in place, his green orbs plastered on the two girls on the street below. He remained stone-faced as he stared. The rest of the crowd stared in horror at the boy they had been searching for for an entire year. Chills went down their spines as he began to chuckle coldly.

"I won't miss this time," he smirked.

Danny swiftly descended until his feet were firmly planted on the ground.

"The hunter must pay for what she did to me," his smirk was replaced with a cold scowl.

"Danny, no!" Tuck ran over and grabbed his friend's wrist. "What are you doing?"

The ghost narrowed his eyes as he used his free left-hand to shove the tech-geek off him, causing him to stumble backward into many of the people surrounding the scene. He then turned his attention back toward Valerie. The ghost boy used his telekinetic powers to part the sea of people leaving a straight shot for the ghost hunter, who was only focused on Jazz.

"You know, I only came here for the hunter," Danny spoke as he looked around at everyone, "but I don't see why having a little fun with all of you would be a problem."

The crowd stood in terror at his harsh words. The teenage ghost relished their frightened looks.

"You'll all pay," he glared.

The ghost then took aim once more at the ghost hunter, forcing everyone surrounding the scene to stay at bay with his telekinesis, and fired.

* * *

**DGG: There you go. Evil Danny! But why is he evil? All will be explained soon!**

**Just a heads up. I do start back to school tomorrow, so if I happen to not update semi-regularly it will be because of that. I will try to my best, however. **

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	6. Bad News

**DGG: Hello! I'm back! I'm glad to see you guys enjoyed the last chapter. Hopefully you will enjoy this one as well! Remember to review!**

* * *

The hospital was buzzing around that evening, tending to all the individuals who had been on Main Street. The bulk of the people weren't hurt badly. Most of them just had severe burns from ghost attacks, and were released later that night. However, there were a few individuals who weren't so lucky. Their injuries were a little more extensive, but were not considered life threatening.

Finally, a group of adults rushed into the waiting room of the hospital, pushing their way through doctors, news media, and a few newly released patients.

"Mom, Dad!" cried Tucker's voice.

The boy jumped up from his seat in the waiting room and ran to their open arms.

"Tuck, what happened?" asked his frightened mother.

"I just have a few really bad bruises and a burn on my wrist," he stood back held up his bandaged left wrist. "I'll be all right."

"Tuck, where's Jazz?" asked an alarmed Maddie, her husband following close behind her.

"And Valerie," spoke an official looking African-American man, wearing a uniform from the local Axion Labs building – Valerie's father, Damon Gray.

"Um…" the boy began, but the waiting room doors opened, and Jazz walked out with her right arm in a sling.

"Jasmine!" cried her father as both he and his wife rushed to her side, gingerly embracing her.

"What happened to you?" Jack asked.

"Well," she started, "I jumped in front of Valerie to save her, and I got hit in the shoulder with a ghost ray. I have a slight concussion from hitting my head on the ground, but I'm okay."

"So Valerie's all right, then?" Damon came over.

"I…I really don't know," she answered as he parents let go of her. "I woke up here, and they began treating me. I haven't seen her."

The middle-aged man turned his attention back toward Tuck.

"Have you seen her?" he asked desperately.

"Um…not since the ambulances arrived to get us all, but…" he trailed off as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"But what? Where is she?"

"There's only one person that I know of who was," Tuck gulped and winced as he looked at the older male, "dead on arrival."

The group of parents gasped, Damon Gray looking as though he had been hit by a train.

"No," he breathed. "No, not my Valerie."

"Did you two see the ghost that did this?" demanded Maddie.

"Yeah, that way we can hunt it down and rip it apart!" Jack exclaimed, his voice boiling with anger.

Jazz exchanged forlorn glances with Tucker.

"Who was it?" demanded Damon, venom pouring out of his voice. "Which ghost did this to my daughter?"

The two teens hesitated.

"Well? Tell me! Which one was it?"

"It was…" Tuck looked around at everyone, unable to finish the sentence.

"Danny," Jazz spoke quietly.

The group of adults stood frozen, staring at the red-head.

"What?" the girl's mother's voice shook.

"That…that's impossible. I thought Danny was…" Jack trailed off.

"You must be mistaken," reasoned Maddie as she grew increasingly upset. "It couldn't have been Danny! Danny would never do something like this! He'd never hurt innocent people!"

"White hair, green eyes, black suit…it was him," the tech-geek spoke quietly.

"Your son? Your son killed my daughter?" roared Damon, as he rounded on the Fenton family.

"No! It couldn't have been Danny!" argued Maddie.

"Your son really is a cold-blooded tyrant!"

"Hey!" Jack shouted. "That's my boy you're talking about!"

"Stop!" Jazz walked in between the feuding adults. "Something's wrong. Danny would never do something like this. There has to be some explanation for it!"

"Yeah. That he really is the cold-hearted killer he portrayed himself as during that first fight with Plasmius!" cried the enraged father.

"That isn't fair!" yelled Jazz. "Danny's not a cold-blooded killer!"

"Yeah, it was like he had no compassion," Tuck jumped in. "It was like it wasn't really even Danny out there."

"If I even so much as see your son again, I'll vaporize him myself," the middle-aged male glared at the Fenton family before leaving to find a doctor.

The two remaining families didn't dare to speak. They stood with their eyes downcast toward the ground. Finally the middle-aged red-headed female spoke.

"I…I can't stay here anymore. Let's go home," she squeaked out.

The mother brushed past everyone, not bothering to say goodbye.

"Come on, Jazz," Jack placed a solemn hand on her uninjured shoulder.

The girl sighed, giving her friend one last look before heading for the exit with her father.

"Mom, Dad," Tucker finally spoke after awhile.

The two adults looked down at him.

"I…I have to go talk to Sam."

"Tucker, no. We're all going home," his mother scolded.

"Please? It'll only be for a second. I just have to tell her what happened, and then I'll be right home."

"With what happened earlier today, I don't think we should let you walk the streets alone," said his father. "We'll go with you."

"Sure," the boy nodded.

With that, the family made their way back out into the streets, where news reporters kept trying to bombard the young male. He refused to speak to the cameras, ignoring them as he made his way toward his best friend's house. When the family arrived, Tucker knocked on the door. He was surprised when he was actually greeted by Sam.

"Hey," he greeted.

"I heard what happened," she spoke gravely.

"How much do you know?" he asked.

"Just tell me it isn't true, Tucker. Please," the Goth begged, tears glossing over her amethyst eyes.

The geek took in a painful breath.

"I wish I could, Sam. I really wish I could."

Sam squeezed her eyes shut tightly as a few tears slipped out from under her eyelids.

"I know," Tuck spoke barely above a whisper as he bowed his head.

"Are Jazz and Valerie okay?" she looked at him.

Tuck's head immediately shot up.

"The news hasn't said anything about Valerie yet?" he asked in surprise.

"Just that she was attacked and taken to the hospital."

Tuck took in another deep breath.

"Jazz is fine. She went home with her parents not too long ago, but Valerie," he paused, unable to complete the sentence, but he didn't need to for Sam to understand what happened to her.

"No," she shook her head. How?"

"His ghost ray went directly through her heart. You could tell she was really frazzled by everything that was happening. She was being assaulted by a ton of questions about yesterday's ghost incident with Plasmius, then the next thing she knew she was being rescued by Jazz from being assassinated. Then, she was freaking out about Jazz and trying to make sure she was all right, and then…it happened."

More tears streamed down Sam's face.

"Tucker, I don't understand. How could Danny…?" she trailed off.

"I don't know, Sam. I don't understand either. But that definitely wasn't…isn't…the Danny we know."

"Tuck, this can't be real. It just can't be!" she shook her head.

"I know how you feel, Sam. It's a lot to process," the male felt tears stinging the backs of his eyes.

"Danny's the good guy," Sam spoke while hugging her arms to her chest. "You can't go from being the hero to the villain just like that!"

"I don't know what happened to him, but I can guarantee that he'll be back, Sam. It's just too much of a coincidence with Plasmius showing up last night and now Danny. I think we're going to need your help with this, Sam. What do you say? Partners again?"

Sam sniffed.

"Yeah," she nodded on the verge of tears again.

Tuck smiled, placing his right hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry we upset you before, Sam," he frowned. "You were right. He was out there somewhere. We shouldn't have stopped searching. Maybe if we hadn't then this wouldn't have happened. I don't know."

The Goth suddenly embraced her friend and sobbed into his left shoulder.

"We'll figure out what happened to him, Sam. I promise," he returned the hug.

"It's been a rough day. For everyone," Mr. Foley finally spoke up from the sidewalk. "I think we all need to get some rest."

Sam sniffled again before letting go of her friend.

"Come over anytime, Sam. You know where to find us."

The female nodded as her friend turned and walked down the front steps. She waved goodbye as he and his family walked back down the sidewalk.

"Oh, Danny," she whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and leaned against the door frame, "what's going on?"

"This is perfect!" shouted Plasmius as he watched everything unfold in Amity Park through a portal he created in the Ghost Zone. "This is even better than I could have imagined."

"I did good?" asked Danny from behind him.

"Yes, Boy, you did wonderfully," the older ghost smiled while not taking his eyes off the portal. "At this very moment, Amity Park is walking around in a frightened stupor. They are all perfectly confused and terrified about what happened. You are a genius, Danny."

"I get it from you," it was the young ghost's turn to smile.

"Yes. Indeed you do, Daniel," the older ghost smirked,. "You have the true mind of an evil genius in you."

"When will we return to Amity Park? When will we make them pay?" Danny asked eagerly.

"Tomorrow, my dear boy," Plasmius finally turned around to face him. "Tomorrow is when we shall strike again. We will retrieve her tomorrow."

"We can finally bring Mom home?" the boy brightened.

"Yes. It is time, Daniel. Our family will be complete again after tomorrow. And after that, we will make everyone suffer for what they did to us."


	7. Confusion

**DGG: Hello, readers! I'm glad you're all enjoying Evil Danny. He's fun to write about. Haha. Anyway, here's chapter seven!**

* * *

"I don't get it, Jazz. How could Danny just…just…" Tuck trailed off while he and Jazz sat out on the front steps of Fenton Works.

"I don't know," the red-head shook her head. "So you told Sam?"

"Yeah. She's just as upset and confused as we are. I told her to come over if she wanted to. I actually thought she'd show up by now. She did say she'd help out," the boy looked down sadly.

"Don't worry about it, Tuck," the older teen leaned over and placed a comforting hand on his right shoulder. "I'm sure she just has a lot on her mind with the news about Danny. I think we all do. She'll be here, Tuck. If she said she'd help us again then she will. I'm sure she needs to process this. I know I did, and probably still do."

Tuck blinked, looking up.

"Hey," he began slowly. "You told me that Valerie was in danger. How did you know that?"

"What?" the girl ripped her hand back and sat up straight, staring blankly at him.

"Yesterday after you woke up, you were frantic to find Valerie. On the way you told me she was in danger. How did you know she was in trouble?" he raised an eyebrow.

The older teen gulped.

"Well," she began slowly while massaging her injured right shoulder gently, "Do you remember how Sam said she had a dream where Danny was talking to her?"

"Yeah," he answered slowly, but suddenly snapped to attention. "Are you saying that…?"

Jazz nodded.

"I had a dream like that. He told me that Valerie was in danger. He wanted me to save her. Actually, he said he wanted me to stop him…"

"Wait. What? Danny told you to stop him from assassinating Valerie?" the tech-geek gave her a deadpan stare.

"Yeah," Jazz frowned while crinkling her brow. "He said that he couldn't help it. It was like he was being forced to do it or something."

"Couldn't help it? Like he's being controlled?"

"I don't know," she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Well, if two out of the three of us are having dreams where Danny's sending us messages, then I'm going to have to go with Sam wasn't crazy and we should have listened to her in the first place," Tuck bowed his head again.

"Definitely," Jazz looked back at him sadly. "It was crazy. It obviously couldn't have been just a coincidence. You can't have a dream that vivid and lifelike and then just disregard it. It completely riled me up, Tuck."

"Not to mention that he told you where and who he was going to kill. That would be an even bigger coincidence," Tuck pointed out.

"Exactly. That dream was intense. I feel really bad for not believing Sam before. I've only had one dream, and I think she's had a few. I don't see how she can handle them."

"Wow."

"Yeah. And amidst the warnings he was giving me he also told me that he wanted to be found, just like Sam said he was telling her."

"We found him yesterday, didn't we?" the boy frowned.

"I guess so," the red-head shrugged, then winced slightly, "but the Danny in my dream sounded desperate for us to find him. The Danny on the street didn't seem very forthcoming toward us for having wanted to be found," Jazz huffed. "I just wish I could know more about what's going on."

"Did he say anything else?"

"That someone was lying to him, and that he needed help and wanted to be found. His sentences were really disconnected. That's not really much to go on."

"But he warned you that he was going to do this…"

"And that someone's lying to him. Maybe he is being brainwashed or something?"

"That seems the most likely at the moment. There's not much we can really rule out at this point until we get more information."

Suddenly the duo was interrupted from their conversation by the sound of an explosion and screaming. They turned their attention toward the direction of the noises and found two figures floating above the center of town.

"Oh no!" cried Tuck.

"Is it…?" Jazz stared in horror.

"I think so. Let's go!"

The two teens took off running down the street.

* * *

"Where is she?" demanded Danny.

The town remained silent, quivering in fear.

"WHERE IS SHE?" the white-haired ghost bellowed again.

Still no one could say anything.

"Daniel, Daniel, what did I say?" Plasmius placed a hand on the boy's left shoulder. "You need to give the people a little incentive."

The fanged ghost suddenly fired a pink ghost ray toward the ground, causing many of the townspeople to scatter.

"Reveal to us the location of Maddie Fenton. And for every minute that you refuse to tell us anything, we will kill off one person," Plasmius threatened.

Everyone in the park gasped, screaming in fear.

"So where is she? Where's my mother?" Danny narrowed his green eyes as he scanned the crowd.

"FENTON WORKS!" one terrified citizen screamed.

"Logical," sniffed Plasmius with a nonchalant shrug.

"But no one likes a nark," Danny smiled darkly as he fired his own ghost ray at the frightened citizen.

The two ghosts smiled as the attack hit its target, silencing the female's cries of terror.

"Which way to Fenton Works?" the young ghost asked.

"You should know, shouldn't you? You lived there!" a male's voice swam into their ears.

The two ghosts turned around to find that an African American male and a red-headed teen had joined the ranks of the frightened citizens.

"Well, well, if it isn't your former friends, Daniel," Plasmius smirked. "Tucker and Jasmine."

"'Jasmine'?" the teenage ghost repeated the name, then suddenly glared daggers at the girl. "Jasmine," he spoke with confidence. "Come here."

The ghost pointed at her, using his telekinesis to hoist her up into the air and bring her up to eye level with him.

"Jazz!" cried Tuck as he reached out helplessly helplessly.

"So we meet again," Danny spoke to her. "Bet you didn't think you'd ever see my face again, did you?"

Jazz remained silent, stealing nervous glances toward the ground below.

"You think you can stop me now? You obviously couldn't stop me before," Danny shook his head slowly as he deepened his glare.

"What?" Jazz asked in confusion.

"You know what I'm talking about. So are you happy now?"

"Hap…happy about what?"

"That you stole my mother," the teenage ghost hissed.

"Stole her? I didn't steal Mom…" the girl knitted her brows.

"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" Everyone flinched at his sudden outburst. "How dare you call her that! How dare you call her anything! You're not worthy of her or any of her affections!"

"D-Danny…" Jazz's voice quivered.

"So where is she? Is she back at Fenton Works?"

"Why? Wh-what do you want with her?"

"I don't really believe that's any of your business. You will find out in due time," Plasmius cut in.

"So? Why don't you take me to her, Jazz? Are you afraid of losing the only mommy you've ever known?" he taunted her.

"What?" she stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Where is my mother, Jasmine? And don't lie to me," he began firing up an attack with his right hand.

"Unhand my daughter!"

Everyone turned around to find the matriarch of the Fenton family standing fiercely beside Tucker on the sidewalk.

"Maddie," spoke Plasmius with amusement.

"Mom," Danny smiled, all signs of ferocity gone from his voice as he ceased powering up.

"How pleasant to see you again, Maddie," the older ghost smirked.

The female huffed as she pulled out a small ecto-gun and fired it at the white-clad ghost; however, Plasmius was able to dodge the attack, and frowned down at the red-headed woman. Danny gasped in shock at her action, staring with wide eyes.

_"_He_ must have gotten to her…"_ he thought to himself.

"Come now, Maddie, is that really any way to greet someone?" he taunted.

"Let my daughter go," the female seethed.

"You should be careful how you word things, Mother," Danny smirked as he let go of the telekinetic grip he held on the teenage girl.

"Jazz, no!" Maddie cried.

The teen screamed as she plummeted toward the ground below.

"Danny, do something!" the ghost hunter pleaded.

"I did," he smiled deviously. "I let her go just like you said."

The middle-aged woman as well as the tech-geek ran to catch the teen. Luckily a few other citizens joined in the effort, catching her before she collided with the hard pavement. Danny frowned and glared downward at the people of Amity Park.

"Jazz, are you all right?" her mother asked once she was standing upright again.

"Y-yeah," Jazz stuttered, allowing her mother to take her into a hug.

Danny stared at the girl in his mother's arms, feeling as though a bull ready to charge.

"HOW COULD YOU?" Danny screeched, forcing all the citizens in the square to look back up at him. "How could you replace me?"

"What? Replace you? Danny, I could never replace you," Maddie shook her head.

"It's not fair. I've only been gone a year. One year! And yet here you are treating her as though she's one of your own," Danny's fierce words were replaced with ones of hurt and betrayal.

"What is he talking about?" Tucker raised an eyebrow.

"Danny, no one's replaced you," Maddie spoke calmly as she released her daughter from her embrace.

"What is with you, man?" asked Tuck. "You're acting really crazy!"

"You've stolen my mother from me," Danny continued bitterly. "And now it's time I steal her back!"

The teenage ghost quickly swooped toward the crowd, his sights set on obtaining his mother, but this didn't seem to faze the ghost hunter at all. Instead she shoved her daughter out of the way, picked up her ecto-gun and once again fired; however, rather than a powerful blast being ejected from the cannon, an ectoplasmic net shot forth, taking the boy by surprise as he became entangled within it.

Everyone backed away as the young ghost fell to the ground and began fighting with his restraints, desperately trying to break free. The only people who dared go anywhere near him were Tuck, Jazz, and Maddie. They approached him with caution, unsure of what he might do.

"Impressive, Maddie," the evil ghost above her clapped his black-gloved hands together.

"I would never hurt my own child," she barked at the male. "You, however, I have no problem with attacking," she aimed her weapon at him. "You have a lot of explaining to do, so start talking."

"There's nothing to explain, Maddie," he spoke calmly, now floating with his hands behind his back. "Danny and I have simply returned. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I wanted Danny, not you!"

"Ah, but you get both of us!" he smiled.

"Mom!" Danny grunted. "Let me out of here! Let me out! I need to take you home!"

"Yes, Maddie, that's all we want. We just want to bring you home," agreed Plasmius, a devious smirk now playing on his facial features.

Everyone stared at the two ghosts quizzically.

"Let him go, Maddie. Keeping him restrained will do no good for anyone."

The female made no intention of moving.

"No?" Plasmius raised an eyebrow. "Then I suppose we'll just have to do it our way. Daniel!"

The ghost instantly stopped struggling within his net, smirked, then used his telekinesis to fling the restraint off him, causing it to fling itself around the red-headed woman.

"Mom!" cried Jazz.

"Make one move toward her, and I'll strike you down just like I did to Valerie," Danny warned.

The girl instantly froze, torn about what to do.

"All set, Daniel?" asked Plasmius.

"All set, Dad," the boy smiled as he grabbed the net and took off into the air.

"Jazz!" Maddie cried as Danny and Plasmius dragged her off into the distance.

"Mom, no!" the red-headed teen fell to her knees with tears in her eyes.

"Jazz, did you hear what Danny said?" asked Tucker, still staring into the distance.

"What?" the girl sniffed.

"He called Plasmius 'dad.' What is going on here?"

* * *

**DGG: Oh my! And this is where I shall end it until next weekend! Thanks for reading and for the reviews I've gotten so far!**

**Also...I've done this on like two other stories...but there's a poll on my profile. Feel free to look at it if you enjoy other fandoms of cartoons. I'm trying to figure out what to focus my energies on next, and thought I'd see what the public wanted. Just something to think about! Anyway, thanks! Keep reading and reviewing!**


	8. Close Call

**DGG: Hey, guys. Things are starting to heat up now. Or even more, at the very least. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and don't forget to leave a review for this chapter!**

* * *

"That monster took my wife?" Jack Fenton gawked when the two teens relayed the news to him. However, his shock soon turned to rage as he punched his right fist into his left hand. "I'll pulverize him!"

"Dad, what should we do?" sniffed Jazz. "Danny just took her with them."

"Did they happen to say where they were going?"

"All Danny said was that he wanted to take his mom home. But we have no idea where 'home' is for them," shrugged Tucker as he shook his head.

The middle-aged, graying male slammed his fists down onto the kitchen table in anger.

"Who knows what they could be doing to her!" he cried.

"I don't know, but I have the feeling that she's probably all right," said Tuck.

"How can you even begin to think that?" demanded Jack. "Vladdie is…evil. Pure evil!"

"Sure, but I'm pretty sure Danny wouldn't do anything to hurt his mom. And given what we know about Plasmius, I'd say he wouldn't do anything to harm her either. Plus whenever he spoke to her, Danny kind of sounded like his old self. He didn't seem to be angry with her, so that's why I'm sure she's all right."

"Be that as it may, I have to find her," Jack stood up. "She's my wife, and she's being held hostage somewhere!"

"But we don't have any leads, Dad," Jazz's voice cracked. "They could be anywhere. They could be hiding somewhere in town, they could be in the next town, they could even be in the Ghost Zone. We just don't know."

The middle-aged male frowned as he cast his gaze downward. He knew his daughter was right, but it pained him to think about it.

"Don't worry, Mr. Fenton, I'm sure she's all right. We'll find her."

The man didn't speak. Instead he kept staring at the kitchen table. After a few tense moments, he sighed, walking toward the basement stairs.

"What are you doing, Dad?"

"I'll be in the lab trying to create a new device that will completely vaporize Plasmius the next time I see him."

The teens in the kitchen exchanged worried glances at the darkness of his words as he walked down the basement steps.

"Do you think he's serious?" asked Tucker.

"I don't know, Tuck," Jazz slumped down in the kitchen chair.

"Something is seriously messed up here," the boy leaned over to rest his arms on the table. "You and Sam have both had dreams where Danny is trying to tell you something, and the only things we know for sure from that is: he wants help, he wants to be found, and he's being lied to. He specifically told you that he was going to assassinate Valerie and wanted you to stop him because he couldn't help it. The Danny that's returned seems really dark and evil, like Plasmius, yet the Danny in your dreams sounds like the same old Danny we've always known. Now he's shown up, kidnapped his own mother, and calls Plasmius his father."

"I don't know what going on, Tuck. This is all just really confusing and overwhelming," Jazz placed her head in her good hand.

"Well, we can't just sit on all of this," he frowned. "We have to do something. I can guess that this is all a part of a scheme that Plasmius has cooked up. The only thing I don't know is _why_ that is. The most I can think of is revenge, obviously, and Danny is a key part of this revenge scheme. I mean, he brainwashed the entire town last year, so I wouldn't put it past him to do the same to Danny."

Jazz mulled over the boy's words for a moment before looking back up at him.

"You have a point because if Danny is being brainwashed or controlled, then he really can't help what he's doing, like what he said in the dream. But if that's the case, there was a key to unlocking everyone's true memories last year, so there would have to be one for Danny's memories too, right?

"Exactly!" the tech-geek smiled, but it soon disappeared from his face as realization hit. "But we have no idea what the key could be, which takes us right back to square one. After what happened last time, I doubt Plasmius would make the key anything obvious."

"It could have been the statue. If he saw it, it may have reawakened his memories," suggested Jazz.

"Maybe but it's destroyed. The rubble that's left from it is unrecognizable as being any sort of likeness to Danny at all, but I guess that would make sense as to why Plasmius would have just shown up out of the blue to destroy it in the first place."

The teens sighed, feeling helpless and dejected. Without any concrete evidence, they were pretty much stuck at a loss. They needed to find out more, but how? Suddenly the teens were shaken from their thoughts, their feelings quickly turning to fright and surprise, when a hole was blasted through the front door, causing a good chunk of the wall to fall into the living room. The duo stood up and ran to look through the doorway of the kitchen in order to stare out into the living room area.

"Mom?" Jazz squinted as the dust settled.

The female strolled casually through the wreckage, followed closely behind by her son. Jack ran up the stairs back into the kitchen.

"What happened?" he demanded.

When neither of the teens answered him, he moved in order to see just what they were fixated upon. His worry and anger subsiding upon seeing his wife walk over to stand in the entryway of the kitchen.

"Maddie!" he cried happily. "You're all right!"

"She's all right," Danny floated out from behind her, "but you won't be."

"Wha…? Danny? You're here too?" the male smiled, seemingly not hearing the last part of the boy's sentence.

"Can it, Jack," the female spoke coldly while holding up her right hand. "I'm not here to visit."

"What do you mean? You live here…" he frowned, his eyebrows knitted.

"Not anymore," she put her arm down. "I made a mistake, Jack. I never should have married you after Vlad and Danny died."

The young ghost folded his arms across his chest and nodded smugly at the large male.

"What? What are you talking about, Maddie?" he stared at her.

"You heard her," Danny glared.

Jack turned his head to look at Jazz and Tucker, who were as equally confused.

"So you can keep your daughter, Jack," Maddie continued.

"Mom, what are you…" the girl started.

"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" roared the ghost, causing the red-headed teen to freeze.

"Dude, what else would she call her?" Tuck raised an eyebrow.

"I don't believe anyone was talking to you, Geek," Danny seethed through clenched teeth.

"Hey!"

"HUSH UP!"

The boy instantly shut his mouth.

"Maddie, you're talkin' crazy-talk!" exclaimed Jack. "We were married years ago."

"Impossible," Danny cut him off. "My parents have been married since they graduated from college."

"That's…true, isn't it?" Tuck leaned over to whisper to Jazz.

"Yeah…" she answered, not taking her eyes off her family. "But I don't think he's talking about Dad being married to Mom all that time."

Jack stared, flabbergasted.

"Danny, what are you saying? You say it like I'm not your father…"

The ghost scoffed.

"Of course you're not my father! Your last name is 'Fenton'. Plus we look nothing alike, thank goodness. I was born Daniel Lee Masters, the only son of Vlad and Maddie Masters."

Tuck and Jazz exchanged shocked glances while the male ghost hunter stood there with his mouth agape at his son's words.

"I came to you in a moment of weakness, Jack," said Maddie. "It was a huge mistake, one I never would have made in my right state of mind. But that was before Danny and Vlad came back for me and told me the truth."

"Which would be…?" queried the techno-geek.

The white-haired ghost glared at him, instantly shutting him up.

"You will pay. All three of you, but mainly the two of you," Danny motioned to Jazz and Jack. "And Sam, of course."

"We never did anything to you," Tucker spoke defensively.

"Never did anything to me? It's partially your fault I'm dead."

"What? Are you crazy, Danny? You were my best friend! You are my best friend!" Tuck's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

The ghost narrowed his gaze on the boy.

"We were never friends."

"Danny…"

Suddenly the ghost lifted his hands into the air and clapped them together vigorously. His motion suddenly caused both Jazz and Tucker to slam into one another, as though actually smashed between his hands. Both teens cried out in pain, Jazz a little more since her friend was slammed into her injured right shoulder. Danny smirked, putting down his left hand and acting as though grasping something with his right. Of course, Tuck and Jazz were held together by Danny's actions.

"Danny, no!" cried Jack.

However, the boy took his arm, and flung the teens down the basement steps. Tucker and Jazz both landed on the hard, tiled floor with a thud causing the girl to cry out in pain while the geek sat up stiffly.

"Are you okay?" he grunted.

"I've been better," Jazz squeaked out with tears streaming down her face while still lying on the ground.

"Finish them," Maddie ordered from upstairs.

Tuck gasped as he stared up into the kitchen.

"Maddie!" Jack cried in horror. "Danny, no!"

"Jazz, get up! Get up!" Tucker jumped up, pulling Jazz reluctantly to her feet. "We've gotta get out of here!"

"Where are we gonna go? We're trapped down here!" she exclaimed while holding her now-throbbing shoulder.

"With a bunch of ghost hunting equipment, Jazz!"

Suddenly the two teens were blown backwards off their feet from an ecto-disk exploding right in front of them. The two were halted by the wall behind them. Danny stood at the bottom of the stairs, ready to toss another attack their way.

"I was going to execute you publicly along with your lug-head father, Jazz, but the two of you are really getting on my nerves. So why not just take you two out of the picture now?"

"Danny," Tuck pleaded while trying to lift himself off the ground. "Danny, don't do this."

"Jack Fenton can tell the entire town how I killed you two slowly. He'll get to listen to the painful, mournful screams of his daughter and her friend."

"Danny!" the African American boy cried desperately.

"Danny, no! Stop!" Jack came rushing down the steps

The ghost formed a green force field around him, causing the orange jump-suit clad male to be thrown backwards onto the steps, knocking him out.

"Stay out of this, old man. I'll deal with you soon enough."

"Danny, that's your father," Tuck gaped.

"HE IS NOT MY FATHER!" Danny screeched. "Now, say your prayers."

Tuck and Jazz both flinched as Danny raised his arm high into the air.

"Time out!" a disembodied voice called from nowhere.

Suddenly the entire scene froze, as though someone had hit pause. Next, a purple cloaked ghost materialized on the scene. The new ghost rushed to the two humans on the ground, placing around each of their necks a medallion with what looked like a golden cog to a clock on them. Instantly the teens unfroze, continuing to wait for Danny's inevitable attack; however, when too much time passed, they both looked up to find Danny frozen.

"What's going on?" Jazz asked shakily, still cradling her injured shoulder.

Tuck looked down, seeing the medallion hanging from his neck, recognizing it instantly.

"Clockwork," he looked to his left.

There hovered the time-controlling ghost, his age shifting from that of a weak, old man to a young boy.

"What are you doing here?" the red-head's voice quivered gratefully.

"You needed help, and you're probably the only ones who have any chance at saving Danny's afterlife," his deep-voice spoke.

"You know what's wrong with him?" Tuck asked, sounding hopeful.

"Every bit. Let's go," the ghost grabbed the two teens by the wrists. "Time in," he spoke while hitting a button on the time scepter he carried around while transporting himself and his companions out of the basement before time could truly unfreeze.

Once the trio was gone, time returned to normal.

"Any last words?" Danny asked, but gasped once he saw that he was now alone in the room. He put down his hand. "Where did they go? Where are they?"

The boy's mother rushed down the stairs, stepping on Jack as she descended.

"What? What's going on?" she asked.

"They're gone. They've just vanished! How could they escape?"

"They couldn't have just vanished, Danny."

"Well, they're not here! Where are they?"


	9. The Lies

**DGG: Ah. Here we are. One of my favorite chapters. Mainly because of the explanations. Actually...that's sort of all this chapter is. But it explains so much!**

**Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! Here's chapter nine!**

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_A white-haired boy floated aimlessly around the never-ending realm. He was searching for something. For what he didn't know, but he was certain that he needed to find…something. Maybe if he kept floating around this place, he would eventually come across whatever it was he was searching for? There was only one way to find out. So he drifted along, hoping for some sort of clue. _

_ Unbeknownst to him, another ghost was in the vicinity. This ghost looked a little more serpent-like with his glowing red eyes, blue skin, fangs, and pointed, black hair. This ghost was clad in mostly white, complete with a cape, black boots, and black gloves. He gritted his teeth at the sight of the boy, glaring at him. Finally, he began floating toward him from behind him._

_ "So, you're here too, Daniel? I suppose this means our battle shall never be complete," he mused._

_ The boy didn't bother to turn around. In fact, he made no indication that he even heard the new ghost at all._

_ "Hey, boy, I'm speaking to you!"_

_He reached out and grabbed Danny by the shoulder and whipped him around. Surprise was evident on the young ghost's face as he stared into the face of the other ghost._

_ "You're…you're talking to me?" he asked, blinking his green orbs and motioning toward himself._

_ "Of course, boy! Who else around here is named 'Daniel'?"_

_ "Is that who I am?"he blinked in awe._

_ The black-haired ghost arched and eyebrow quizzically. _

_ "You don't remember?"_

_ "I…I can't remember anything," he shook his head with a frown. "I don't know why I'm here or how I got here. I don't know who I am or who I was. All I know is that I'm dead. Did I know you when we were alive?"_

_ The older ghost stared at the boy for a moment, a sly smile taking over his face as a plan began forming within his mind._

_ "Yes. We knew each other. In fact, we knew each other quite well. You, Danny, are my son."_

_ "Really?" the teen blinked again._

_ "Oh, yes. My name is Vlad Masters; however, now that I'm a ghost I'm known as Plasmius."_

_ "Danny Masters," the boy spoke. "It doesn't ring a bell, but so far, nothing is really ringing a bell."_

_ "Then let me be able to refresh your memory. Come, my boy."_

_ Plasmius motioned for Danny to follow him, and the boy smiled gratefully as he followed the man he believed was his father. Plasmius led him through the Ghost Zone, eventually finding a secluded area for them to stay, away from anyone who could possibly eavesdrop on the conversation. _

_ "So how did we die?" Danny asked once they were settled. _

_ "I believe I should start at the beginning, long before our deaths. Before you were even born," Plasmius cleared his throat before continuing. "Your mother and I met in college. She was very beautiful then, as she is now. Maddie is her name," he smiled warmly. "We gained a friend while in college named Jack Fenton. Both of us had feelings for your mother; however, she favored me. We began dating and married straight out of college. Jack always resented me for having married the woman of his dreams. I could always see it on his face whenever we saw one another. But we kept contact with Jack after college. We remained fairly close friends, but I could always see that he held some pent-up hostility toward me. _

_ "Your mother and I fell into some money. Maddie was an inventor, and I made some wise business investments throughout the years. We lived in Wisconsin in our mansion. We lived quite peacefully together. Eventually we received a wedding invitation in the mail – Jack was getting married. We were thrilled for him, and I felt that finally he had gotten over his almost unhealthy obsession with my wife. However, when we arrived in the town of Amity Park, which was where Jack resided his entire life, I was shocked to see that he was marrying a woman who looked almost identical to your mother. This woman had red hair and light, violet eyes just like Maddie. I seemed to be the only person to realize this little tidbit, but no one was making a big deal about it, and so I was happy for Jack, thinking that maybe it was just a coincidence. _

_ "A few years later, Jack and his wife had a baby. A little girl they named Jasmine," Plasmius placed a frown on his face. "Unfortunately, her mother was killed in a terrible automobile accident just a few months after Jazz was born. As you can imagine, Jack was completely heartbroken. This prompted your mother and me to go to Amity Park in order to console Jack and help him take care of his daughter. Your mother was always a considerate creature, and seeing how upset Jack was, she decided that we should buy a second home in Amity Park to be near him. I wasn't keen on the idea, but I just couldn't say no to your mother. It's in her nature to be motherly and caring, so I agreed. We made our permanent residence Amity Park for Jack's sake._

"_Things were going well enough, though I would always catch Jack staring longingly at Maddie when he thought nobody was watching. I was half afraid to let her to go to his home alone for fear he may try something; however, I trusted your mother, and I knew she would never comply with any advances Jack may have attempted."_

_ "And did he attempt anything?" Danny interrupted, feeling defensive for his mother's sake._

_ "No," the older male shook his head. "She would have mentioned something to me if he had."_

_ "Good."_

_ "Now where was I? Oh yes," he continued with a smile. "Two years later you came along. I was thrilled to finally have a son. You completed our little family. Unfortunately, I always caught Jack glaring at you when Maddie wasn't looking. You see, I believe that he resented the fact that you were my son and not his. He desperately wanted a family with your mother._

"_As the years wore on, tensions between the two of us and Jack grew worse. If your mother wasn't around, he completely ignored us. He acted very distantly toward the two of us. You see, it wasn't that long ago that we were murdered."_

_ "Murdered?" gasped Danny, his eyes bulging. _

_ "Unfortunately," Plasmius frowned. "You see, Jack's jealousy ran deeper than I had initially thought. I already thought the way he treated us behind your mother's back was ludicrous, but I had no idea of what he was truly capable of. I mean he's pretty much a brainless oaf! He began threatening the two of us, also behind your mother's back. You mentioned something about it to her once, but she didn't believe you. She equated it to you just being young and misunderstanding what he was saying. She had no reason to believe that Jack had a mean bone in his body, so your claims sounded ridiculous to her. So his secret behavior toward us continued. We just shrugged it off since there was really nothing he could do, but that's when things suddenly turned for the worse._

_ "Jack's plan finally came to fruition," Plasmius bowed his head, speaking solemnly. "One night while I was out doing my daily walking he cornered me in an alley. He beat me mercilessly, even gave me a few knife wounds. Once he was satisfied with his work he just left me alone to die slowly. _

_ "What! No way! How could he…?"_

"_It gets worse," the raven-haired ghost looked Danny in the eye. "On that same night, you were hunted down by one of the peers at your school. All the students were guilty of ridiculing you during your school day – and that was mostly due to Jazz's slanderous words; however, one stepped up to rid you from the face of the earth. Her name is Valerie Gray. She dressed herself from head-to-toe in a red suit complete with a hood to cover her face and eyes, so you wouldn't know it was her. She murdered you brutally in the streets of Amity Park."_

_ "Wow," Danny bowed his head, trying to take in all the information. "But…where was Mom through all of this?"_

_ "She was out of town," he spoke quickly, "at our Wisconsin estate. It was sort of our getaway home. Anyway, she was in Wisconsin due to an inventor's convention on that fateful night. She said she had wanted us to go along, but I insisted that she go alone. We didn't want you missing too much school anyway, so we stayed behind in Amity Park."_

_ "So…if we would have gone back to Wisconsin with Mom, then we'd probably still be alive?"_

_ Plasmius shrugged._

"_There's no doubt in my mind that we could have kept our lives for at least a little while longer; however, I'm sure that Jack and Valerie would have disposed of us eventually. A trip to Wisconsin would have only delayed our demises, but it would not have stopped them."_

_ "So what happened to Mom? Is she all right?" Danny asked._

_ "She has fallen victim to a deep depression, Danny. Of course, Jack is there to comfort her, as well as Jazz. This is exactly what he wanted, Danny. His jealousy-driven mind caused him to hatch an insidious scheme just so he could get his hands on your mother!"_

_ "But he had us killed!"_

_ "Yes, but your mother is unaware of that," Plasmius held up his index finger. "She just believes that we were the unfortunate victims of a mugging."_

_ "So what will we do, Dad?"_

_ "We will return. We will make them suffer, my boy."_

_ "When?" Danny asked eagerly. _

_ "In due time, Daniel," he chuckled at the boy. "First, we will let all of them think that we are dead and gone. Then, when they least expect it, we will return. We will exact our revenge on everyone, but mainly on Jack and Jazz Fenton, Valerie Gray, and your two supposed best friends, Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson."_

_ "What did they do to me?" Danny frowned, cocking his head to the right._

_ "They were the ones to tip Valerie off about where you were on the night of your death. They directed her right to you."_

_ "And they were…my friends?"_

_ "Supposedly. Obviously, they were two-faced, Daniel. They will pay as well."_

_ "And Jazz? What has she done to me?"_

_ "Well, she is stealing your mother!" the evil ghost cried. "Maddie is the only motherly figure she's ever known! She's always tried to squeeze you out of the equation, attempting to get the most attention from _your _mother. That's why she spread nasty rumors about you at school. She's the reason you were picked on every day. Even your own friends didn't truly like you due to her accusations and lies! And now, unfortunately, the girl is soon to be your step-sister."_

_ "What! No!" cried Danny, balling his hands into fists._

_ "I'm afraid so, Daniel," Plasmius frowned as he nodded his head slowly._

_ "And we're just going to let it happen? We're going to let Mom marry the man who is responsible for our deaths?"_

_ "It's all a part of my plan," the older ghost held up his gloved hand to silence the boy. "Once she sees that we are still around, Maddie will come right back to our family circle. She will leave Jack and his brat of a daughter. It will completely crush both of them, Daniel, don't you see? We will cause them the greatest amount of pain possible, both emotional and physical."_

_ "That's brilliant, Dad," Danny smiled._

_ "Yes. I know," he smirked._

_ "So what shall we do in the meantime?"_

_ The fiendish, serpent-like ghost's lips curled up into a sinister smile._

_ "Strategize."_

The two teens stared in horror at the scene that played out inside Clockwork's time portal. Jazz and Tuck rigidly turned their heads to stare at one another, completely stunned.

"That…that's what happened?" asked Tucker. "That's why Danny is acting like this?"

"Yes," spoke Clockwork bluntly, shifting from an elderly man to a child.

"But how could this happen? Why couldn't Danny remember anything, but Plasmius could?" Jazz looked to the ghost.

"A ghost's ability to keep its memories after death is all relative to age. Typically, if a person is over the age of twenty-five, they have a strong enough connection to their minds that they are able to keep a hold on their memories while crossing over. The age varies, really. Children, if they become ghosts, are almost never able to keep what little memories they have gained through the years. Some teenagers have been able to keep their memories, but it is typically anyone twenty-five and older. Danny, being only fourteen, was unable to keep a firm grasp on his memories while crossing over into the Ghost Zone; therefore, he is unable to recall anything about himself or his past. Plasmius, being well into his forties, was able to hold onto his memories from his previous life. Upon learning that Danny's mind was completely blank, he used this to his advantage. With no prior information from his previous life, Danny was successfully transformed into someone that he was not."

"But why make Danny think that he's Plasmius' son? That's just a little weird," noted Tuck, Jazz grimacing in agreement.

"It would appear that Vlad Masters, as you know, was always the one to hold resentment against Jack for marrying Maddie. He was jealous of the life they made together. For whatever reason, learning that Danny was also half-ghost, he latched onto the boy despite being his greatest enemy."

"So he secretly wished that my brother was his son?" Jazz gawked.

"It would seem so," Clockwork nodded. "Plasmius was presented with the perfect opportunity to 're-write the past', and he took it."

"Wait," Tuck held up his hand in realization, "that's why he took Danny's memorial, isn't it?"

Clockwork nodded again, shifting his physical appearance once more.

"He couldn't risk Danny finding out that he was lying. The memorial statue showed that the town cared for Danny. It also showed him in his ghostly form. Since Danny is unaware that he was part ghost before his death, the statue conflicted with the lies that Plasmius told him."

"'Lies?'" blinked Jazz. "Hold on! Danny spoke to me through a dream, and he said something about how someone was lying to him. This was what he was talking about, wasn't it?"

"It would seem so," Clockwork changed his appearance again.

"Didn't Danny also warn you about how he was going to kill Valerie?" Tuck turned to look at her. "How is it that Danny was warning us about what he was going to do, yet when we see him he's a cold, unfeeling ghost?"

Clockwork smiled.

"You all have a strong bond with him. So strong, in fact, that he is able to call out to you. You see, when a ghost loses their memories, they don't disappear. They are simply kept elsewhere. The real Danny's essence is trapped within that box. He is conscious of what is happening with his body and of the lies that are filling his body's head, yet he is unable to do anything about it. However, he has apparently found a way to contact you in hopes that you can help him."

"And can we?" queried Tuck.

"It is possible. Ghosts are able to attempt to retrieve their memories. Unfortunately, many ghosts don't even try to recover their lost memories as the journey to re-obtain them is extremely dangerous. Many have tried and failed, some have tried and perished. Most believe it is not worth the effort. But there are a number of ghosts who have succeeded in obtaining the memories they lost."

"In my dream – and Sam's dream – Danny said to find him. He means his memories, doesn't he?" the red-head asked.

"So if we find Danny's memories, he'll go back to normal," smiled Tuck.

"If the Danny that is running amok in your hometown remembers who he truly is, then yes, he will be return back to the Danny he originally was," Clockwork nodded, again changing age.

"Well, how do we get them back?" the tech-geek jumped up and down eagerly.

Clockwork frowned.

"Your enthusiasm is inspiring; however, you must understand that this journey will not be easy. It would be dangerous for you as well. There is a good chance that you could perish while seeking out your friend's memories. The question is 'are you willing to take that risk?'"

Jazz and Tucker nodded determinedly at the ghost.

"We'd do anything to help Danny," said the female.

"We'd rather die trying than not do anything at all," agreed Tuck.

The boy's statement caused the ghost to smile.

"You are all very close. However," his smile quickly turned to a frown once more, "one of your brood is missing."

The two teens exchanged glances with one another.

"Oh man," Tuck began. "Sam's still back there! She's back in town, and Danny wants revenge!"

"You three have been going through a rough patch in your friendship," Clockwork stated.

"Yeah," nodded Tuck sadly. "She said yesterday that she wanted to help us out with Danny."

"Indeed she does. Especially now."

Clockwork turned their attention back toward his time portal, where he showed what was currently happening in Amity Park. The pair stared as though viewing a train wreck. Both Danny and Plasmius zipped above the town, tormenting anyone and everyone they could see.

"That's…that's…" the tech-geek stuttered.

"It's terrible. Thus far, Danny has not tried seeking out Sam, but it is only a matter of time before he finds her. Remember what you viewed before. Plasmius told him that Sam ratted him out to Valerie. He wants her dead."

The two teen's eyes widened.

"Actually," the ghost switched the view of the screen to show Sam running through the streets, "she is making her way to Fenton Works as we speak."

"Then we have to get back there," Tuck cried frantically.

"I can help you there. I can send you two back to the basement. It is safe there for now, but you will have to act quickly to make it to your friend."

"Wait. Where do we go once we get Sam?" asked Jazz, holding up her left hand.

"Come back here. I'll direct you to the proper place. And bring some weapons with you," he added as an afterthought.

"'Weapons?'" the female blinked.

"You never know what you're going to encounter. It's almost like another Realm of Nightmares," the teens gulped at the memory. Clockwork smirked. "There's no time to waste. I will return you back home now. Find your friend, then get back here, and make sure not to let any of the other ghosts know that you're attempting to find Danny's memories, especially Plasmius."

"Got it," the two nodded.

"Good luck," the master of time smiled as he opened a portal behind the teens, sending them back to Amity Park.


	10. Reunited Team

**DGG: I'm back! And I thought everyone should know that during this past week, this story broke over 1000 views. That's insane! I've never had that happen over the course of a month before, so I'm pretty excited for it! Thanks for reading and reviewing, Guys, and here's the next chapter!**

**As a fun fact, this chapter contains my favorite Danny quote from this story! Such a simple, yet powerful phrase, and I love it! **

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Sam Manson panted heavily as she sprinted through the streets of Amity Park. She still couldn't believe what was happening. The Goth had spent the remainder of the previous night as well as most of today attempting to wrap her head around the whole situation with Danny. It was still too much to handle. How could Danny be so inexplicably evil now? None of this was adding up. Eventually she couldn't take it anymore and decided to take a break from reality by taking a nap in hopes of clearing her head; however, instead of peace, she had yet another dream with Danny speaking to her. It had been like all the other dreams where he was begging for help, begging to be found, and wanted the lies to cease. When Sam awoke from her restless sleep, she heard the sound of people screaming and panicking outside her window; her heart broke when she saw that Danny was the root of all the destruction. It was then she decided she couldn't be alone anymore. She couldn't decipher this on her own.

So now she was running as fast as she could in order to get to Fenton Works; she had to find her friends. However, it wasn't an easy journey. She was fighting against a massive crowd running in the opposite direction in order to flee Danny's rampage.

"I don't think so!" Danny smirked while using his powers to force all the citizens, including Sam, into the air and take them all to the center of town. He dropped them down onto the street, spraining a few ankles and wrists in the process, and smirked at the moans and cries of terror; however, his smirk quickly dissipated and was replaced with a serious scowl as he eyed each and every person below him.

"You're not going anywhere, Amity Park," Danny's voice boomed.

"We don't understand! Why are you doing this?" a brave soul yelled from the crowd.

The rest of the crowd gasped, their eyes widening in horror as Danny's own green orbs locked onto the outspoken female.

"Why? Because of what you let happen. None of you thought you'd have to see me again, did you? None of you ever thought you'd have to deal with me again after last year. But now I'm back to punish all of you," he spoke sadistically.

Everyone in the town exchanged frightened glances.

"My father told me all about the heinous plan to kill the two of us that our ex-friends thought up, but it's backfired," he smirked again. "We're ghosts now. They didn't get rid of us; they made us stronger."

Everyone continued to stare at him in desperate, confused horror.

"You will all be punished for these crimes, however," he frowned while circling around the crowd slowly. "How is it that no one saw or did anything to stop our murders? There had to have been a few of you to witness what was going on. But you all stood by, and that deserves punishment as well."

"What…what are you talking about, Danny?" Sam finally spoke up while knitting her eyebrows together. "Your fight with Plasmius is what killed you…"

The ghost immediately came to a halt and scanned the crowd until he spotted her face. She gulped when a fiendish grin twisted its way onto his face upon recognizing her.

"Sam, I've been wondering where you were hiding," the young ghost zipped down to hover right in the Goth's face, seriousness etched into all his features. "You have a lot of nerve just showing yourself to me. You're even more foolish than I thought."

"Danny…" her voice quivered.

"I already executed the one who murdered me," he continued darkly, "and now it's time to kill one of the people who led her straight to me."

Without any warning, the ghost swiftly grabbed the girl around the neck with his gloved left hand and lifted her off the ground as though she were as light as a feather.

"Danny!" Sam gasped for air as she struggled to loosen his grip. "Stop! This isn't you!"

"Maybe it's not who I was when I was alive, but that was before my entire hometown practically turned their backs on me," he snarled.

The boy began powering up a ghost ray with his right hand as Sam continued to struggle against his tight hold, but to no avail. His grip was like a vise on her windpipe, and she knew that even if he didn't hit her with an attack, she would surely suffocate. Her strength was no match for his, and she could feel herself growing weary due to lack of oxygen. This was it. There was nothing else she could do except close her eyes and wait for the final blow.

"No way, Fenton! That is it!" cried the blonde star of the football team.

The athlete charged up from behind the ghost and whacked him in the back of the head with a large tree branch; however, Danny didn't loosen his grip on the girl. Actually he didn't do anything. He ceased his imminent attack and just hovered silently in place with his eyes cast in shadows. Everyone watched with baited breath as they waited for what was to happen next, with the only sounds audible being the raspy gasps for air coming from the Goth teen's throat. His lack of movement only made everyone antsier, especially Dash who slowly started backing away from the scene, his weapon still firmly grasped between his fingers. After a few more tense minutes, Danny finally loosened his grip on the female, letting her drop to the ground with a thud; she coughed as she attempted to allow oxygen to fill her lungs.

"What did you just call me?" he demanded darkly.

Danny whipped around, and in one swift movement, knocked the branch out of the other teen's hands, grabbed him by the collar of his black shirt, and lifted him effortlessly into the air.

"W-whoa, Fenton. Calm down," the teen quivered, holding up his hands in defeat. "It…it was just a joke. Yeah. Come on, buddy."

"How dare you call me by that name," Danny hissed.

"What?" Dash cocked his head in confusion before just shaking it off. "Just…C-come on! Have a heart!"

The ghost narrowed his gaze on the blonde.

"I stopped having one when it stopped beating."

"Danny, no!" Sam hopped up and grabbed the ghost's arm, desperately attempting to loosen his grip on Dash.

"Back off, Sam. I'll deal with you in a second," Danny didn't even take his eyes off the football star.

"Danny, stop this! Think about what you're doing! This isn't the Danny Fenton who grew up here!" she continued in her fruitless efforts to help the boy.

"What?" Danny jerked his head to his right to look at her. After a moment he dropped Dash to the ground and turning to face her completely. "What did you just call me?"

Sam stared at him quizzically.

"I called you by your name…" she raised a black eyebrow.

"No," he shook his head, sincerely baffled. "You called me 'Danny Fenton'. Dash called me 'Fenton'. My mom may have married that brainless idiot, but that doesn't mean that I took his last name!"

"What? What other last name could you possibly have?" Sam knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "Have you completely lost it?"

"No. Have you?" the ghost glared.

"Danny, this isn't right. I know you know that. You have to stop this!"

"Not until everyone in this town is dead. Especially you."

"Danny, no!" Sam screamed; however, the ghost raised his hand, creating an ectoplasmic energy disc to toss at her. The girl stood her ground, but covered her face as she awaited Danny's attack.

"Stop, Danny!" cried the familiar voice of Tucker.

Sam cautiously opened her eyes again to find Danny bound by two strands of line from two Fenton Fishers. The boy screamed in aggravation as he struggled against his restraints, but Jazz and Tuck held on strong even with their injuries.

"Guys!" Sam smiled gratefully.

"LET GO OF ME!" Danny screamed as he flew into the air and began to spin around. Luckily, the two teens anticipated his move, and let go of the Fishers before the boy could drag them with him. After a moment he stopped, the line loosening and falling to the ground around him.

"Well, well. I wondered where you two snuck off to," Danny frowned, yet spoke with amusement while looking at the two teens. "Your disappearing act was impressive earlier today, but it definitely won't happen again."

"Danny, this is enough," Jazz spoke sternly. "Let everyone go."

"Or else what?" Danny chuckled while folding his arms across his chest. "You can't do anything to me."

"Maybe not," admitted the red-head. "But we can stall you."

At that moment, Tuck whipped out a large device from behind his back that looked like yet another kind of ecto-gun.

"That hunk of junk won't even harm me," the ghost spoke cockily.

"It's not supposed to," Tuck answered as he quickly turned it on and shot at Danny.

The white-haired male chuckled as he dodged each attack with ease.

"You're going to have to do better than that," he taunted the techno-geek.

Sam, noticing which Fenton-device her friend was wielding quickly began searching for a way to distract the ghost. Finally, she spotted a stone on the ground, picked it up, and took aim. Hopefully even if she missed, it would still be enough to warrant him to turn around to find out who threw something at him. She held her breath as she tossed the rock. Everyone watched in awe as the rock hit Danny square in the back of the head, and the Goth smiled as he turned around viciously, scanning the crowd below.

"Who threw that?" he demanded.

With his back now turned on the other two teens, Tuck took the opportunity to take aim and fire, able to hit Danny dead-on while he was paying no attention to him. When Tuck turned off the stream, Danny had shrunk down to only a few inches tall.

"Say hello to the Fenton Crammer, just another device your parents invented," Tuck smiled while patting the machine proudly.

"What have you done to me?" the tiny ghost shouted while examining his new tiny form.

"Come on, Sam!" cried Jazz as she ran toward her and grabbed her by the wrist. "We have to get out of here. Now!"

Before the younger teen could even utter a single syllable, Jazz quickly began dragging her back toward Fenton Works followed closely behind by Tucker.

"No!" cried the tiny ghost as he attempted to attack them; however, he only found that his power to shoot a ghost ray had shorted out. "Get back here!"

"Oh no you don't!" Maddie seemed to jump out of nowhere, kicking Tuck in the side and causing him to crash into the two females, with Jazz yelping as Tuck crashed into her injured shoulder before they all toppled onto the ground.

"Turn my son back to normal!" the red-head demanded, standing before them menacingly.

The teens each sat up rigidly, not saying a word.

"Give me that!" the middle-aged female pointed to the Crammer.

When no one made any effort to hand her the device, she quickly reached out to take it forcefully from the male's hands; however, all three teens grabbed a hold and wouldn't let go. The four were engaged in a tug-of-war match; however, even though it was three against one, the older female was almost more than a match for them.

The town's eyes were all glued on the group a few feet away from them. No one seemed to know just what to do until finally Dash spoke up.

"Come on! What are we all waitin' for? Help them!" he cried.

After a few seconds of hesitation the entire town rushed forward. Some of them helped the trio, others began attempting to pry Maddie's hands from the device. Danny, now in his shrunken form, attempted to help his mother; however, his tiny stature prevented him from doing much damage to anyone.

"Daniel! Daniel!"

The tiny ghost looked around at the sound of Plasmius' voice.

"Dad!" he cried as loudly as possible while flying up to his face.

"What happened to you?" the fanged ghost raised an eyebrow.

"It was Fenton's kid and my two-faced friends. They shrunk me!" Danny motioned toward himself.

"What's going on?" Plasmius demanded as he scanned the crowd below.

"A riot! The entire town is turning on Mom now! I can't do anything to stop them! What if they try to hurt her?"

"That won't happen, Son. Trust me. I'll take care of them."

Immediately, Plasmius swooped down on the citizens, throwing attacks left and right. One of the attacks hit the Fenton Crammer, sending it flying through the air.

"Don't let them get that!" shouted Tucker.

The town rushed toward the ghostly piece of technology as well as Maddie and Plasmius.

"No!" shouted the popular Latina girl, Paulina.

She, along with another football player, Kwan, had grabbed the two Fenton Fishers from the ground, and quickly used them to snag both Plasmius and Maddie. The line wrapped around the two of them, trapping them in place.

"Awesome!" cheered Tuck.

"Here!" Dash cried while tossing the device back to the tech-geek. "Take it! We can hold off these guys!"

"Are you sure?" queried Jazz.

"Definitely. So do you guys have a plan or something?"

"Yeah, we've got something. Hopefully we'll make it back," explained Tuck while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"'Hopefully'?" the blonde raised an eyebrow.

"It's a complicated story that we can't really explain right now," Jazz continued. "We just need to get back to the Ghost Zone."

"All right! Go! We'll take care of these guys," Dash motioned to the commotion behind him.

"Just be careful," spoke Jazz. "And…and please make sure they don't hurt my dad."

"We'll do our best. Now get going!"

The three teens nodded as they took off running toward Fenton Works.

"They have a plan?" Plasmius spoke to himself. "I don't think so!"

The ghost struggled against the ghostly line that was restraining him. Eventually he flew straight up into the air, dragging Kwan along with him. The large football player held onto the handle with all his strength, unfortunately once he looked down he broke out into a nervous sweat and began slipping off the end of the Fisher. The athlete couldn't hold on any longer. He finally slipped off the end and fell to the ground, releasing the ghost from the Fisher's confines.

"Kwan!" Paulina gasped, accidentally releasing her own Fisher as she ran to his aid.

"Maddie!" cried Plasmius as he flew down to her. "We have to stop those three! They're devising a plan," he stopped to think about what he could tell her, "and they're probably running back to Fenton Works to find a device to destroy Danny as we speak!"

"They won't make it that far!" Maddie exclaimed viciously. "I'll never let them hurt my baby boy again!"

"You aren't getting anywhere near them!" one of the citizens cried, blocking the red-head's path.

Plasmius snarled, taking off after the trio alone.

* * *

"What…what are we doing?" asked Sam as they ran.

"We have to get to the Ghost Zone! Clockwork knows where we need to go next!" answered Jazz.

"And where exactly is that?"

"We have no idea," spoke Tuck.

"How comforting," Sam rolled her eyes.

"You three aren't going anywhere!" yelled Plasmius, as he attacked them from behind.

The teens flew onto the ground, the Fenton Crammer landing a few feet away from them.

"You!" screamed Jazz, wincing as she cradled her shoulder. "Why are you doing this? Danny told us you were filling his head with lies! Why turn him against all of us?"

"What?" Sam turned around and gaped at Plasmius. "You're the one Danny's been talking about?"

"You've been speaking with Daniel?" Plasmius arched an amused eyebrow as he landed on the street in front of them. "I don't see how any of your conversations could have been very civil. He hates each and every one of you."

"What do you want, Plasmius? Why are you here?" snapped Tuck.

"You said you had a plan. What could you possibly do that could stop me this time?"

"What's it matter to you?" cried Jazz.

"I just find it humorous, that's all," he shrugged as he began to pace. "You three actually think you can stop me? You're mere mortals. There's nothing special about any of you. The only ones that were capable of saving any of you were Danny, Valerie, and Maddie, and two of them have sided with me while the other is dead."

The three teens glared at the male ghost.

"But why are you doing this? What do you expect to gain from all of this?" asked Sam as she deepened her scowl.

"What do I hope to gain? Everything," he stopped pacing. "I will make this entire town pay. I will finally make Jack pay for stealing away the woman of my dreams, for stealing away the family that should have been mine!"

"This is all because of revenge?" Jazz's muscles tensed up in anger. "All because my mom fell in love with someone else? This is what it all comes down to?"

"Among other things, dear girl."

"Danny's right. You really are a seriously messed up fruit loop," glared Tuck.

Plasmius scowled at the male.

"Tell me, what is this plan of yours?" Plasmius queried.

"Like we'd tell you!" spat the Goth.

"Humor me, Child."

"What's it matter to you if you think we can't succeed!"

"Because I've underestimated you before! I can't just let you go! I won't let there be a chance of you ruining this for me!"

"Think again!" cried Sam.

She jumped up, scooped up the Fenton Crammer, and pulled the trigger, hitting Plasmius within its shrink ray, reducing his size to just a few inches tall like Danny.

"What…what have you done?" cried the tiny ghost in surprise.

"Put you in your place," seethed Sam. "Come on, guys. We have to help Danny."

Sam threw the device to the ground as the trio rushed as quickly as they could into the house and down into the basement where the teens loaded up and jumped inside the Specter Speeder.

"So what do we do now?" asked Sam.

"We find Clockwork," answered Tuck simply as he steered straight ahead inside the Ghost Zone.

* * *

**DGG: Please review! **


	11. On the Way

"Good. All three of you have arrived here just as I knew you would," smirked Clockwork as he changed from a child to an adult.

"Okay, could someone please explain to me what's going on?" asked Sam while looking around at everyone's faces.

"Danny attacked us earlier, and Clockwork jumped in and saved us," Tuck explained. "He brought us here and told us about how it's not really Danny back in Amity Park. Well…it is Danny, but it's just his body…"

"His body?" the Goth raised a confused eyebrow at her friend.

"Yes. It appears that when young Danny crossed the threshold of the living into the ghostly world, he was unable to keep a hold of his memories," Clockwork took over, again changing his form, this time to an old man. "Typically older individuals who become ghosts are able to keep their memories after death, such as with Plasmius, but younger individuals most of the time cannot, like Danny. He was merely an empty vessel floating around this realm in search of something, though he didn't know what."

"So that's why he thinks he's evil now?" Sam crinkled her brow.

"Plasmius used Danny's empty vessel to his advantage. Instead of letting Danny know that they had been enemies in life, he instead told him that he was his son. Plasmius made up a story about how he had married Danny's mother, and that Jack was very bitter about it. Danny is under the impression that Jack created a plan to kill both Plasmius and him so that he could have the woman of his dreams. Plasmius told Danny that you and Tucker ratted out his whereabouts to Valerie, who killed him while Jack murdered his 'father.' He hates Jazz because he believes her to be just his step-sister, and that she was stealing away his mother and spreading vicious lies about him all around school. Danny's body believes he wants you dead, and he's going to take revenge on his hometown thanks to the lies Plasmius has told him."

"When it's actually just Plasmius who wants revenge," Tuck added bitterly.

"That would be correct," nodded the ghost, again shifting forms.

"That definitely explains a few things. So how do we snap Danny out of it? Is there something we can say or do?" asked Sam.

"Say? Not so much," Clockwork shook his head. "The Danny causing trouble in your town doesn't remember who he truly was. However, there is something you can do."

"You said we can find his memories," Jazz commented.

"Yes, and from what I understand, the bond you all share is so strong that his true essence has been calling out to you already for help."

"Yeah…how did you know that?" asked Sam with a frown.

"Sam," the red-head spoke up, "Danny contacted me too."

"What?" the Goth gasped. "When?"

"Yesterday. He warned me about what his body was going to do to Valerie. He wanted us to stop him, but…well…you know…"

"Wait, wait, wait," Sam held up her hands. "This dream happened yesterday? And you guys didn't bother to tell me that?"

"Sam, we had a lot on our minds then. That part wasn't really at the forefront after everything that happened," Tuck shrugged, wincing at his friends anger.

"I think it should have been!" she roared. "I tried telling the two of you that I was having dreams about Danny, and you didn't believe me. Then Jazz has a dream, and no one bothers to tell me?"

"We were in shock, Sam!"

"I think we're getting a little off-topic here," Clockwork interrupted. "I believe there are more pressing matters at hand. Danny needs help. I believe you can argue amongst yourselves later."

The teens immediately quieted down, looking a little ashamed. Silence blanketed everyone for a few moments until Tucker finally decided to speak up.

"So, you said you'd show us the way to…wherever it is we need to go."

"Yes, I did," the ghost nodded. "I can show you the way; however, that is all I can do."

"So where is it that we're going?"

"It is a fortress, a puzzle, a maze. I must warn you that it won't be easy. It's a dangerous trek even for a ghost whereas the three of you are mere mortals."

"But that's why you told us to bring weapons, right?" asked Tuck.

"It may not be enough," admitted Clockwork. "When I said it was dangerous, I wasn't kidding. Many a ghost has perished while attempting to retrieve their lost memories. In fact, the journey is so dangerous that most don't even attempt it in the first place."

The trio exchanged worried glances with one another.

"That's not to say there aren't some who have successfully retrieved their old memories," the time-altering ghost spoke coolly as he watched the teen's expressions.

"What sort of obstacles are we going to find there?" asked Jazz timidly.

"The fortress is made up of three mazes, each leading to the same destination with different disasters down each one. There are booby-traps, monsters, nightmares, riddles, all sorts of things designed to keep a ghost from retrieving that which they lost."

"Why?" Sam knitted her eyebrows. "Why is it so dangerous? Are ghosts not supposed to have their old memories?"

"Some don't think so. Some believe that a ghostly life is not a continuation of its previous life, but is actually a separate life completely. They would rather a ghost start a completely new 'life'. However, for whatever reason, older people who die and become ghosts are able to keep their memories, while younger individuals are not. Most who lose their memories don't even attempt to get them back, thus creating a new identity for themselves anyway."

"So who created this maze?" queried Jazz.

"It is uncertain. As far as everyone knows it has been around for as long as the Ghost Zone, itself."

"So no one really knows where it came from?" Tuck raised an eyebrow. "So then is all the talk about ghosts keeping their two lives separate just talk? Like was that solution something someone made up to justify this place?"

"It's possible," the ghost shifted forms once more.

"So why do some believe that a ghost shouldn't be able to keep their previous memories? What harm could it do?" questioned the red-head.

"It depends," the ghost shrugged as he began to pace before the teens. "Being able to remember is what can cause the drive for us to haunt. It makes ghosts long to act as though they are still alive. Some can accept that their time in an earthly body has been spent while others become bitter. They have no pulse and become jealous of those who do thus haunting them and scaring them out of jealously and anger. Or you have ghosts like Plasmius: powerful and full of vengeance. Without his previous memories, he wouldn't be tormenting your hometown as we speak; however, it depends upon the person. Plasmius was already evil and sinister while he was alive. Danny, however, was not. He was the protector of Amity Park. With his memories returned, I doubt he would have a drive to haunt the living world."

"Well…how do we get to this maze?" asked Sam.

The ghost stopped.

"You are aware that there is a great chance that you may not make it back, correct?" he frowned.

"But we have to try. Danny's our best friend. We can't just let him believe he's this monster," Tuck spoke, the girls nodding in agreement.

Clockwork smirked.

"I expected no other answer."

"So how do we get there?" asked Sam again.

"It is in the very heart of the Ghost Zone. Once you leave here, you just keep heading straight."

* * *

"What happened to you?" asked Skulker with a frown while eyeing Plasmius' shrunken form outside of Fenton Works.

"Danny's pesky friends. Just put me back to normal!" Plasmius ordered.

The metallic ghost grabbed the Fenton Crammer off the street and used it to reverse its effects on his boss. In no time, Plasmius stood at his original height.

"That's better," he brushed off his sleeves with a scowl, "however, we have business to attend to, Skulker."

"Like what?" the hunter frowned.

"It appears Danny's friends are heading through the Ghost Zone as we speak."

"For what, Sir?"

"I don't know," Plasmius frowned. "They said they have a plan."

"A plan? Danny is now on our side. What can they do?"

"I have no idea. But with them not here, this completely ruins my plan," Plasmius snarled. "Danny is supposed to kill them along with Jack! Who better to kill them in front of the entire town? I can't think of a better way to exact my revenge."

"Father!" cried the shrunken form of Danny Phantom as he rushed toward Plasmius and Skulker.

"Skulker, un-shrink him too," ordered the evil ghost.

The hunter did as he was instructed, firing the contraption and reversing its effects.

"Dad," spoke Danny once he was his normal height again, "the riot downtown is getting worse!"

"Skulker, rally the other ghosts and aid them in subduing the people. I need to speak with Daniel for a moment."

"Yes, Sir," the metallic ghost nodded as he sped off into town.

"What do you need? Mom needs help back there!" Danny motioned behind him frantically.

"She'll be fine, Danny," Plasmius waved him off. "Right now I have something else for you to do."

"What's more important than helping Mom? What if those monsters hurt her!" the teen ghost's green eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

"Your mother is strong and can hold her own. Besides, she has an entire army of ghosts helping her. Right now there's something else we must attend to. Thanks to your friends a wrench as been thrown into our plan," Plasmius glared.

"What?" the boy raised an eyebrow. "Why? What have they done?"

"After that little spectacle they put on out there, they've disappeared somewhere into the Ghost Zone."

"They're gone? They can't be gone! I'm supposed to execute them!" Danny raged.

"I know," the serpent-like ghost held up his gloved hand to calm the boy. "They say they have a plan to stop us from carrying out ours."

"What can they do?" Danny mused.

"I don't know. But if you want to carry out our plan, then someone's going to have to go in there and find them."

"I'd be happy to, Father," Danny smirked deviously.

"I knew you would," Plasmius smiled sinisterly. "Find them and bring them back by any means necessary. You can torture them if you so choose, but remember that their deaths are to be in front of the town. Understand?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Don't worry. I'll bring them back."


	12. The Fortress

**DGG: Hey! I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying the story! Here's the next chapter! **

* * *

The three teens traveled for what seemed like forever. None of them spoke during the entire ride; there was just too much on their minds. The biggest thing hovering over their heads was the fact that Plasmius may actually win this time. If ghosts really did have a hard enough time making it through this maze, then they may just be signing their own death warrants! And if the three of them did happen to die in there, then there'd be no one to help Danny or save the rest of the town! The stakes were great, and it was all a little more than overwhelming.

After about fifteen minutes, they spotted a massive chunk of land floating within the Ghost Zone with what appeared to be shrubbery growing all around it. The three teens gulped as the male landed the Specter Speeder near the massive, elegant golden gate marking the entrance to the maze.

"Well…this is it," Tuck spoke as he stared at the immense island in awe.

The three teens all nodded to one another numbly as they each exited the Speeder, gathered a few gadgets from the back, and stood outside the massive gilded gates which blocked their entrance into the maze.

"How do we get in there?" asked Tuck as he stared upward at the barrier.

"I don't know," Sam shook her head with a frown.

"Strange. There's no lock on this gate," Jazz noted as she surveyed the bars. "And there's no hinges either."

"What!" exclaimed the tech-geek, rushing over to double check the female's findings. "How is that possible? How can you enter a door that's been welded in place? I mean, now it's not even a door! It's more like a wall with slits in it!"

"Well, maybe it doesn't need hinges," suggested the Goth, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Ghosts don't have to use doors, do they?"

"What?" the male scratched his head, still not catching on.

"Hold on. I get it," smiled the red-head. "Ghosts have the ability to fly through solid objects! They don't need hinges to get inside!"

"Okay, but we're not ghosts," Tuck raised a confused eyebrow. "We do need hinges to get through a door. So now what do we do?"

"Tucker, don't you remember? In the Ghost Zone it's like we're the ghosts!" smiled Sam. "We phase through everything here! All we have to do is walk through."

He instantly brightened at the girl's reminder.

"All right! You're a genius, Sam," he smiled.

"But of course," she shrugged, a hint of a smug expression playing on her lips.

"All right. Let's go," Jazz motioned forward with her head.

The teens all exchanged determined glances with one another before taking a step in unison; however, rather than just stepping through to the other side as they expected, the high-schoolers were met with a sort of force field which just flung them all backwards, causing them to crash onto the ground a few feet away.

The three groaned as they each sat up stiffly.

"Well, that didn't work," Jazz grimaced as she held her right shoulder.

"What the heck was that?" the male rubbed the back of his head.

"I don't know," Sam stood up with her weapon.

"I don't get it," spoke Jazz as she also stood up. "If you can't phase in and out of this place, then how do you get in? Can ghosts not even phase through the gate?"

"Maybe they can't. If this place is designed to keep a ghost from finding their memories, maybe it's just another deterrent," Tuck suggested while joining the females.

"But, again, that begs the question of how we get inside," pointed out Jazz.

As Jazz and Tucker continued rattling off possibilities, Sam stood silently, just staring at the gates. What did ghosts have that they did not? Obviously there was a way inside! How else could other ghosts have gotten back their memories? Her gaze wandered downward, coming to a rest on the weapon in her hands. That's when it hit her like a bat to the head. Her eyes widened as she looked back up at the entryway.

"You force your way in," she spoke suddenly as she took aim and fired at the gateway.

The three coughed from the smoke caused from the explosion; however, when the smoke cleared, there was a large hole in the bars.

"Awesome!" cried Tuck. "How did you think of that?"

"Ghosts have powers. They can just force their way in. We have ecto-guns, so why not do the same thing?"

"Brilliant. I feel like it's something I could have thought of. I'm really not on the ball today," the geek's shoulders slumped.

"It doesn't matter, Tuck. Let's just go!" Jazz smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder; however, shock fell over everyone's faces when they turned to head toward the gate. Their excitement fell by the wayside as they watched the gold bars repair themselves right before their very eyes.

"Whoa. Wasn't expecting that," admitted the male.

"Hold on. I think you had a point about the deterrent, Tuck," Sam spoke. "This is probably just another one."

"Yeah," agreed the red-head. "We just have to be quick if we want to get in before it reseals itself. If we all fire together, then maybe we'll have a better chance of getting through before it closes."

The younger teens nodded, each aiming their guns at the entryway.

"Ready! Fire!" cried Jazz.

The streams of ecto-energy surged from their weapons, each colliding head-on with the golden gate a few feet away.

"Hurry, run!" cried the Goth.

The trio quickly headed toward the gaping hole left in the gate, coughing and tearing up due to the smoke. The three each hopped through the barrier, landing in the foyer on the other side; they panted heavily as the bars regenerated once more. Once they caught their breaths, they then turned their attention to the three different paths before them.

"Well, which way should we go?" Tuck looked to his companions.

"I don't know. According to Clockwork, they all lead to the same place," answered Jazz.

"But different challenges lie down each path," Sam added.

"That's true," nodded Tuck.

"Come on, guys. Let's go this way," the red-head began walking forward.

"Wait a second. Maybe we should split up," suggested Sam, causing the older teen to turn and gawk at her.

"What?" gaped the tech-geek.

"Hang on. Just hear me out," Sam held up a hand. "All three paths will lead to Danny's memories, so why don't we each take a path? Maybe that way at least one of us will be able to make it."

"Or it could just make us more vulnerable," frowned Jazz. "I don't think it's a good idea to split us up."

"Yeah, you heard what Clockwork said. There are all sorts of different traps and stuff lying down each one. We might stand a better chance against everything if we stick together," Tuck agreed.

"I know that, but I'm saying…"

"Don't worry, Sam. We know what you're trying to say," Jazz interrupted. "You think it might be a little quicker if we each go separate ways. But, there again, we'd just be more vulnerable. I know how you feel, but I don't think we can risk losing one another. I mean, we'll have no idea about what's happening to anyone else. Not to mention that if one of us did make it to the end, how would we know about the other two? They could be on their way…or dead…"

"All right, all right. Strength in numbers. We probably would stand a better chance together than separately," the Goth conceded angrily. "So the next question is: which path do we take?"

"Too bad there's not a way to know what's down each one before we start," Tuck frowned. "That way we may be able to take the lesser of the evils."

"From what Clockwork said, I think all the evils are fairly evenly matched," pointed out the oldest female. "So I don't think it really matters which one we choose."

The teens scanned the paths to their left, their right, and the one straight ahead, each one trying to decide which would be the best route to take.

"Well, let's just go through the middle," suggested Sam. "Can't be any worse than the other two paths, right?"

Her friends nodded, and with Sam leading the way, they began walking toward the path. Within a few seconds, Sam was already at the base of the path. She stepped passed the leafy archway; however, when the other two attempted to step through, they were met with an invisible force field, flinging them back onto the ground similar to when they attempted to walk through the entryway only moments earlier.

Hearing their cries, Sam immediately spun around.

"Tuck! Jazz! What happened?" she cried, clearly confused.

The two gingerly sat up once more, but before either one could answer, a wall of shrubbery closed off the path, separating them from Sam. The teens gasped, jumping up and running to the wall.

"Sam! Sam!" called Tuck.

"Sam, can you hear us?" asked Jazz as she frantically pounded on the wall with her left hand.

The two hammered on the shrub for a few minutes, which was surprisingly rock-hard for it appearing to be just a large bush blocking their way; however, Sam never responded. She was sealed off inside the middle maze. Finally, the two teens slumped down onto the ground, panting.

"Well…I guess only one person can go down each path," Tuck turned to stare at the red-head.

"Apparently. I guess we have no choice but to split up," she answered gravely.

"I hope Sam is all right in there," the male upward at the wall.

"I think she'll be fine. She's determined enough to make it through anything so long as she can get Danny back," Jazz gulped before her next sentence. "Well, I guess we need to decide which paths we're taking then."

Tuck looked at the two remaining paths.

"How about you go right and I go left?"

"Sounds good, I guess," she winced as Tuck helped her to her feet. "Good luck in there, Tuck."

"You too," he smiled.

The two then turned their backs to each other, heading to their respective paths. Each had a hollow feeling as they entered the maze. There was no telling what could happen. This could be the last time they'd ever see each other! But hopefully at least one of them could make it to the end for Danny's sake, and for the town's sake.

* * *

Danny flew silently through the ghostly realm. Where could those three traitors have gone? He had no clues or leads as to where they could possibly be. He shook his head. Why would they have come in here in the first place? Did they honestly believe that they could hide in here? Fat chance. They weren't going to ruin his and his father's plans to avenge their deaths. He refused to come back empty-handed; it was just not an option.

The white-haired ghost was suddenly jarred out of his thoughts by a strange ghost materializing before him. He stopped cold, staring at the new arrival. It wasn't a ghost he could remember seeing before, and he seemed to change age almost every second. Danny shook his head to regain his composure, placing an angry scowl on his face as he flew toward him.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "And why aren't you with the other ghosts in Amity Park?"

"Who I am is of no importance to you," the age-changing ghost smirked coolly, holding up his left hand. "I am here to aid you in your quest."

Danny raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"You're searching for your friends."

"They aren't my friends," Danny snapped.

"Regardless, you're searching for them, correct?" he frowned.

"And I suppose you know where they are?"

Clockwork smiled, pointing his scepter to the left.

"Just head straight that way."

The white-haired teen looked in that direction before turning back to stare at this ghost. Confusion was more than evident on his face.

"Why are you doing this? You seem a little too eager to help me..."

"You act as though I'm sending you into a trap. Trust me, Danny. We're on the same side."

"Same side?" he raised an eyebrow. "I don't even know who you are."

"We were allies once in your former life. Perhaps if you follow the path I showed you, you'll remember," Clockwork motioned to the left once again.

The teenage ghost kept his gaze firmly on this strange ghost for a few more moments before his confused countenance turned serious once more.

"Fine. I'll go, but only because I've had no other leads on where to find them. But trust me when I say this: if you're lying to me I will come back for you, and my father and I will destroy you," he glared coldly at the other male.

"I know," Clockwork smirked in amusement. "But then, I know everything."


	13. Braving the Paths

**DGG: Lo ciento, gatos. I was doing really well with updating for awhile. I was actually quite proud of myself. But school was really stressful there for awhile. Hopefully things will calm down now that my recital is over. So here's my extremely late update, everyone. Sorry again!**

* * *

"Tuck! Jazz!" Sam cried as she frantically beat the wall that appeared behind her.

What just happened? One second she was looking at her friends and the next a barrier just formed before her very eyes! Panting, she turned around to face the maze, leaning her back against the shrubbery wall to catch her breath. As her breathing steadied, she finally looked around. It was like she wasn't even in the same place anymore. Actually, it looked like she was outside in the dark somewhere. The Goth looked up to see what appeared to be a dark sky, and when she looked down the path, all she could see was a few patches of fog.

The teen gulped. Apparently they were going to go with her original plan of splitting up, after all. She frowned as she looked forward, finding that she was frozen in place. Clockwork's words about this place being extremely dangerous were ringing through her ears like an incessant ringtone. There was a real chance that she may not come out of this maze. She may not see her family again or her friends. Friends. Danny! The teen shook her head, set her shoulders, and placed a determined look on her face as she set her nerves aside. She was doing this for Danny. The Goth readied her ecto-gun, took a deep breath, and stepped forward into the maze.

She walked for about ten minutes, keeping her weapon handy just in case anything jumped out at her. Suddenly, the teen heard a noise behind her and instantly whipped around. She squinted as she looked around in the near-darkness; she couldn't see anything, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything there.

After she was certain there was no one behind her, the girl turned around and kept following the path. A few moments passed before she heard the same random sound again and immediately stopped in her tracks. The Goth turned around slowly, expecting to find a hideous monster or something; however, she gasped when she realized it was the ground behind her that was caving in! Without wasting any time, she turned around and began running from the rapidly collapsing terrain.

Sam sprinted as fast as she could, stealing glances over her shoulder from time to time. She appeared to have gained a good lead; however, she knew it was only a matter of time before she grew tired, and slowed down, and she just knew that would mean the end of her! As she thought about this, she rounded a corner, suddenly running into a wall made out of shrubbery. She panicked for a brief moment before she suddenly spotted a wooden door a few feet to her left in the middle of the wall. She frantically rushed to the door and desperately attempted to turn the knob.

"It's locked!" she cried in horror.

Sam struggled with the handle for a few more moments before she finally saw there was writing carved into the door.

_To unlock this door and pass into the middle,_

_You must first be able to solve this riddle:_

_What is a word made up of 4 letters yet is also made up of 3. _

_Although is written with 8 letters, and then with 4._

_Rarely consists of 6, and never is written with 5._

The teen gulped. Riddles were never her strong point, but with the ground caving in behind her, she had no choice but to solve it unless she wanted to die. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and began scanning the words again. The first line alone made no sense to the teen. A word that was written with four letters, but was also made up of three letters? What kind of word was that? Could it be a word that had an alternate spelling? But how on earth could it have eight letters and then suddenly have four?

The teen's heart rate increased as the ground behind her steadily grew non-existent. She looked back at the sign. Was this even a solvable riddle? What kind of word could it possibly be referring to? Sam was about ready to pull her hair out when she suddenly examined the sign a little more closely. There were no question marks. No question marks? Riddles always asked a question, so why was this one simply acting like it was stating facts?

She gasped as realization hit her. It _was _just stating facts.

"It's not a riddle!" she cried. "It's simply stating how many letters are in each word! 'What' has four, 'yet' has three, 'although' has eight letters, 'then' has four, 'rarely' has six, and 'never' has five!"

The girl looked over her shoulder and gasped when she saw there was about two feet of crumbling ground left. If she was wrong then she was about to be swallowed into the darkness below. Her teeth rattled as she waited for the end; however, she suddenly heard a metallic click from the door, signaling that it unlocked. Sam quickly turned the knob and jumped through the door panting heavily as she watched the last bit of ground fall away.

The girl gulped, holding her right hand over her pounding heart. She shuddered to think about what new danger was awaiting her in this section of the maze.

* * *

From the time Tuck stepped foot on the path, it seemed as though he was on the run. He wasn't quite sure what he was running from though. All he knew was that he needed to get away fast! He panted as he ran, trying not to slow down for anything. So he ran from the ominous presence he felt. Whatever it was, it felt insanely dangerous. Out of nowhere, Tuck heard a loud cracking sound, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. He looked behind him to make sure no one was there when a thump caused him to look forward again and gaped at the large pile of trees which had just toppled on top of each other right in his path.

The male panicked, hearing what sounded like growling a ways behind him.

"I guess I have no choice," Tuck gulped as he jumped onto the pile and began to climb as fast as his limbs would allow.

The male worked as hard as he could with whatever was after him at the forefront of his mind. Actually, he wasn't even sure if there was anything truly there! That's when he heard more growling, and with a yelp, started to climb faster. He was nearly to the top of the massive pile, and a grateful smile appeared on his face. Hopefully this wood pile would be able to slow down whatever was following him, and he'd be able to just get away! Then again, he was in a maze…there really was nowhere for him to just hide from whatever it was that was chasing him. His smile disappeared at that thought; however, this would hopefully still be able to slow down that monster.

Just as the boy reached the top and was beginning to pull himself up to see the other side, the branch he was standing on suddenly cracked underneath him. Tucker screamed as this one stray tree managed to cause the others to topple downward, taking him down with them. He landed with a sickening thud on his back with a few tree trunks breaking his fall. He groaned. The fall had knocked him for a loop, so he just lay there in a daze. He could have just laid there forever; however, a sudden pain jolted him back to reality. He looked in front of him, noticing that he had now been pinned underneath one of the falling trees.

He squirmed as best he could in an attempt to wriggle free, but it was just no use. The weight of the log was just too much for him. He relaxed for a moment in order to calm down and clear his head. He needed to think. There had to be a way he could get out of this. Somehow he just had to be able to break free.

Tuck closed his eyes in order to concentrate better. Would he even be able to go anywhere even if he could get out of this mess? He really wasn't sure about the extensive damage this was causing to his lower body, but he certainly didn't feel any pain…at least he didn't at the moment anyway. Maybe he could blast the tree off him with his ecto-gun! That could work. But where was it? He was quite certain he'd let go of it during the fall. Hopefully it landed somewhere close to him.

Growling suddenly intruded in the geek's ears, and his heart immediately started pounding. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but he could feel the presence of that monster he'd been running from. He didn't know what it wanted, but he could almost guess that it probably wanted him dead. Maybe if it already thought he was dead it would just leave him alone? It was certainly worth a shot. So the boy lay as still as he could, trying not to breathe too often. He even made sure not to flinch when he felt its face just inches from his own. The creature sniffed him, then started to roar wildly, frightening the teen so much that he let out a yelp.

Tucker stared upward in horror at this shadowy beast that had finally caught up to him. He wasn't sure of what was going to happen, but he hoped that the girls would be able to make it through and find Danny's memories…

* * *

Jazz sped through her maze as fast as she could as she clutched her weapon tightly with her good arm. So far so good. Nothing too bad had happened just yet, which made her all the more suspicious. Clockwork said this was almost like another Realm of Nightmares, so the fact that nothing happened only made her tense up. Something really terrible must be lurking just up ahead, and her nerves weren't put at ease when she came to a fork in the maze. She looked left and right. They both looked fairly quiet; however, she could only assume that once she picked one that would soon change. But which way?

Both were deceptively quiet and peaceful looking, but was one safer than the other? Would they both lead to the same horrors? The red-head gulped down the lump that was forming in her throat. Well…there was only one way to find out. The girl once again looked left and right before tentatively stepping forward onto the left fork. Much like at the beginning, her only exit was sealed off behind her; she had no choice but to keep moving forward.

The female walked on, yet still nothing was happening. Maybe one side was safe. That didn't mean she was going to let her guard down, however. No, she held her ecto-gun firmly, ready to use it at a moment's notice. Jazz walked steadily, looking around her to make sure that nothing was going to get her, but she was growing warier the longer she went without running into any obstacles.

Suddenly the girl heard what sounded like the snapping of a twig off to her right, and she immediately held out her gun.

"Who's there?" she called; however, she received no response, just as she expected.

Jazz broke into a nervous sweat as she attempted to steady her hands which were starting to tremble.

_'Get a grip, Jasmine,'_ she spoke to herself. _'Don't let fear get the better of you. You're in here to help your little brother. Finding Danny's memories is all that matters right now. Just keep moving forward.'_

With her little pep-talk able to boost her morale slightly, she carefully lowered her weapon and began heading onward. However, she tensed up again when she heard another crack of a twig in the distance. She immediately stopped and held her gun out in front of her once more. She couldn't see anyone or anything else in the maze with her, so where could that sound be coming from? Was it possible that it was just a form of trickery brought on by the maze?

"Who's there?" she yelled again. "I'm warning you!"

Another snap from behind her caused her to whip around, ready to shoot; however, she gasped when she saw who it was.

"V-Valerie?" her jaw dropped.

Indeed her fallen friend appeared to be standing right in front of her; however, the red-head could already tell that something wasn't right. There was something eerie about this Valerie. She was wearing her red and black ghost hunter uniform; however, the hood was down. Her gaze pointed downward and she had a sullen expression on her face. But the truly eerie factor was her eyes. They were empty – completely devoid of life or emotion.

What was going on? Was this really Valerie? Had she been turned into a ghost after her untimely demise? Was she searching for her lost memories as well? Or was she a trick being projected by the maze? Jazz wasn't at all certain about this; however, all she knew was that she didn't want to turn her back on the girl for fear that something terrible would happen.

"Valerie?" she spoke tentatively, but still the strange manifestation of her friend did not move. The red-head gulped. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Still no response. Jazz wasn't quite sure what to do. She couldn't just stand there with her gun ready to fire forever, but she was afraid to move. After a few more tense moments, the African-American female finally looked up, her dead eyes staring directly into Jazz's. When the two locked eyes, Jazz instantly found that she was paralyzed! Try as she might, she just couldn't budge from her position, and she watched helplessly as watched Valerie's face twisted into a sinister grin, her teeth jagged and pointed like a monster's.

A million thoughts began sprinting through the older teen's head. Most of them involving the fact that this certainly wasn't the real Valerie. And, of course, the fact that she felt like she was probably a goner. She hoped Tuck and Sam would be able to reach the end of the maze, and she inwardly apologized to her little brother, knowing she wouldn't be able to help him.

Suddenly the doppelganger of her friend lunged forward, biting into Jazz's already injured shoulder…


	14. The Guardian

**DGG: Hey, everyone. Sorry for another late-ish update. It's been awhile between them once again, but I had been trying to update every Sunday, so now maybe I'll be back on schedule! Hopefully.**

**Part of this chapter may be slightly confusing if you haven't read The Ghost Boy Prophecy. It has to do with Danny's extra powers. Pretty much, without trying to give too much away from the first story, Plasmius had accidentally transferred some of his powers to Danny, and he can call upon them if he needs them. Anyway, that's where they came from. **

**So here's the next chapter!**

* * *

"What's taking so long?" Plasmius bellowed as he paced angrily back and forth.

The ghosts had successfully been able to rally the frenzied citizens of Amity Park once more. They had subdued them by any means necessary, and most of them lay injured and moaning in the town square. Jack Fenton was lying with his side with his ankles bound together and his arms tied behind his back on the wooden platform constructed in the center of town, originally used for Danny's statue commemoration ceremony. He looked a little worse for wear as he stared desperately up at Maddie and Plasmius who were both on the platform guarding him.

"Dear, you have to give him a little more time," Maddie spoke reassuringly.

"How far could those three have gotten? He should have been back here by now!"

"Maddie," Jack suddenly piped up. "Maddie, why are you doing this?"

"Hush up!" she snapped at him.

"This is throwing a wrench into my entire plan!" Plasmius continued to pace.

"Maddie, snap out of it," Jack spoke again. "He's…he's hypnotized you or brainwashed you or something!"

"That's ridiculous! He's my husband!"

"No, Maddie, I'm your husband!"

"No!" the female swiftly kicked the larger male in the stomach. "You took advantage of me after Vlad and Danny died! And what's worse was that it was all your idea. It was all your doing! How could you do something so terrible?"

"Maddie…Maddie I don't…I don't know…what you're…talking about!" Jack grunted out painfully.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Don't waste your breath on him, Darling," the serpent-like ghost spoke to her as he grabbed her gently by the shoulders and turned her around to face him. "He isn't worth it. Once Danny gets back, we'll be rid of Jack and those three pesky teens forever."

"I think I should be the one to deal the final blow to Jack!" Maddie protested suddenly. "He ripped my family away from me, and then married me! It's sick! It's perverse! I think that qualifies me to do it!"

"What?" gasped Jack.

"But, Maddie," Plasmius frowned. "Killing Jack is a part of Danny's job."

"Danny can still kill Sam, Jazz, and Tuck. They were the ones who betrayed him. Jack was the one who betrayed me! At least give me that much," she batted her eyes.

"Maddie…" Jack piped up.

Plasmius pondered the red-head's words for a moment. He looked back and forth between her and Jack for a moment before giving the female a smile.

"You know what. I suppose you have a point, Maddie."

"What! Vladdie, no! What are you doing?" cried Jack.

"I suppose Danny does have enough people to slaughter. You can take care of Jack, my love."

Maddie practically jumped into the ghost's arms, who happily hugged her in return.

"But I believe we should still wait until young Daniel returns with his treacherous friends. The traitors should be punished by having to watch each other die. But this brings us back to our original problem of where they could be!" the ghost shoved the red-head backward and began pacing again.

"Don't worry, Honey. I'm sure Danny's probably on his way back right now. He won't let us down," the female placed her hands on her hips.

"It's been too long. They should all be dead right now!"

"You're just antsy. Danny will be back. In the meantime, we can have some fun with the crowd, can't we?"

"Maddie!" Jack cried in horror.

Plasmius smirked as he stopped pacing again to face the female.

"How right you are, Maddie. How right you are. And that's why I love you."

* * *

The white-haired teen flew through the ghostly realm, making sure not to stray from the direction the other ghost had pointed him in, but so far there was nothing. There was still absolutely no trace of those three traitors. He may as well have just continued on in the direction he had been going in the first place! He grunted in frustration. So far that ghost had tricked him; he said they had been allies before his death, but he found this unlikely. His father had stated that neither of them knew of the Ghost Zone before their untimely passings. He growled. That time-shifting ghost was probably allied with Jazz, Tuck, and Sam, and he led him off their trail. Danny smirked. It seemed like there was going to be one more guest at the public execution later today.

The ghost boy was just about the turn and fly back when he caught sight of the Specter Speeder just off in the distance. He blinked his green orbs in shock, making sure he wasn't just hallucinating, and when it didn't disappear he smirked again, this time smugly. Well, well, it looked liked the odd age-shifting ghost had told the truth, after all. The boy immediately sped off toward the vehicle and immediately searched it. Empty. He expected no less. He then turned around to take a look at the giant maze behind him. They must be inside. There was no other place they could be unless they fell from the ledge into the depths of the Ghost Zone, and he was certain that wasn't the case.

"They've practically gift-wrapped themselves for me," Danny smiled to himself. "They can't possibly think this fortress can protect them from me. I'll be dragging them back to Amity Park in no time."

The teenage ghost flew toward the gates, stopping just before them to examine them.

"Coated in ecto-ranium, huh? Apparently someone doesn't want me here. Well, they'll have to try harder."

The boy held up his right hand and blasted the golden gate, flying through the massive hole his attack created. Once inside, he gently landed on the floor and examined the small foyer. There was nothing fancy or interesting about the room. There were no decorations, no signs, and no ghosts; the only things in this room were the entrances to what looked liked three different paths. The ghost snarled. Those three certainly weren't making this any easier for him. Apparently he'd just have to go down each corridor. Actually, maybe he could go down all three at once.

The teenage ghost immediately split himself into three. His ghostly clones took to the left and middle sections, leaving the original Danny to head down the right side. Perhaps this would be easier than he thought. The ghost boy quickly flew into his section of the maze, not even realizing that the exit was sealed off behind him.

Danny flew for awhile, and the deeper he went into this maze, the stranger it became to him. He hadn't encountered many large mazes in his time, but he did know that a maze should have twists and turns in it. But this seemed like a straight shot. There were a few turns here and there, but there was only one direction to go, whereas a true maze should be trying to lead him astray. What was this strange place?

_Find me…_

The ghost stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes flitting all over the place.

"Show yourself!" Danny commanded.

_Please find me!_

The white-haired ghost raised an eyebrow. This voice…it sounded eerily like his own. But how could that be? It had to be trick of some sort.

_Help me!_

It wanted his help? And it wanted him to find it? Danny folded his arms across his chest. That seemed rather foolish. If he did find whoever this voice-imitating creature was, it would pay for distracting him from his true intentions of finding those three traitorous teens. And yet he found himself compelled to find its owner, not out of anger but out of desire. The boy shook his head. What was going on here?

Danny didn't have time to think about this conundrum long, however. As he hovered above the ground in a state of confusion, he was suddenly sent hurdling forward by a kick to the back. He skidded and tumbled across the maze floor, whipping around wildly. The boy snarled, readying himself to attack; however, his expression soon turned to one of confusion when he found no one there. He just lowered his arms when an invisible punch to the face sent him crashing into the shrubbery wall. He gritted his teeth, turning around.

"Show yourself!" he demanded just before receiving another invisible hit, this time to the gut.

The teenage ghost doubled over, holding his stomach, but a kick to the chin brought him back upright. Another hit to the side sent him careening into the wall and crashing back to the ground.

_You have to defeat her…_

It was that voice again.

_Use your extra powers._

Extra powers? What was this voice talking about?

_She's about to attack again. Use a force field and then concentrate on drawing out your extra energies._

Danny wasn't entirely sure about this strange voice-doppelganger; however, he felt compelled to trust it. The boy stood on his knees, held out his arms on either side of him, and a large, green orb materialized around him. The moment it appeared, something was immediately deflected. Danny watched as it looked like someone collided with the wall of the maze a few yards away, and a dust cloud appeared on the ground around where it fell.

She – as his voice-doppelganger called it – was probably a little dazed, but she wouldn't be for long. The voice told him to concentrate, so he closed his green orbs and stood calmly behind his force field. He wasn't entirely sure what he should be concentrating on, however. How was he supposed to call forth some extra powers that he didn't even know that he had? Did all ghosts have these extra powers? If so, why didn't his father tell him of his? Did his father even know?

_Don't think. Just concentrate!_

The ghost huffed, but obeyed. He shifted his concentration onto just thinking about these powers he apparently had. He called them forth in his mind, though he felt nothing spectacular happen. Perhaps this strange voice was wrong. Maybe the voice wasn't even real. Real or imaginary, it did help him buy some time against the invisible being that was attacking him. Maybe it was crazy, but he trusted this voice, so he concentrated just a little bit more, focusing so much on it that he unintentionally let his force field down. That's when he felt a strange tinge run through his body, and he could feel an army of strength marching across every muscle. All his senses suddenly heightened, and he could easily feel the presence of whatever it was that was attacking him.

He stood his ground for a few moments before finally feeling the air pressure change to his right. He swiftly held out his hand, grabbed the invisible person, then threw them backward.

"You've just make a grave mistake," Danny spoke as he opened his eyes, which were now the same blood red color as Plasmius'.

The boy felt that he was now infinitely stronger. He blinked a few times, allowing his new ultra-sensitive vision to focus before finally spotting the being that had been attacking him.

"Who are you?" Danny glowered at the being who resembled Valerie, speaking with three different voices: his regular voice, a low gravelly voice, and a high-pitched monotone voice.

The being seemed taken aback by this sudden changed, but soon pulled her wits back together.

The female stood and smirked.

"Well, well, Phantom. I didn't expect you to be able to tap into those powers of yours, but it certainly doesn't matter. In fact, it may even make this battle more fun," she placed her hands on her lips, a cocky air to her voice.

"Who are you?" Danny repeated through clenched teeth.

"If you must know, I am the guardian of this maze. I control anything and everything that goes on within these maze walls," the creature hissed as she transformed back into her usual, shadowy form.

"Listen. I have no problem with you. I'm just here to retrieve Sam, Tucker, and Jazz."

"Don't bother, Phantom. My maze has already taken care of the other two. As for Jazz, she's right over there," the guardian pointed over Danny's shoulder. The ghost turned around to find Jazz lying on the ground just a few feet away, bite marks all over her body. "And as for you, I suggest you leave this place," the female warned.

"I don't think so. The only thing finishing off any of them will be me," Danny turned back and deepened his blood-red glare. "Only I have the right to kill them. I'm not leaving without them."

"Stand down, Phantom," she hissed again, narrowing her bright yellow eyes to slits.

"Listen. You can either hand Sam, Jazz, and Tucker over to me, or I can fight you for them. It's really your call."

"Just leave. Unless you want to meet the same fate as them."

Danny hardened his gaze on the female in front of him.

"I'm not leaving."

"You can't stay here. Your friends have already failed in their attempts at reaching the end of this maze, and so shall you."

"I'm not trying to reach the end of the maze…"

_You must! You have to help me!_

The ghost flung his hands over his ears, hoping this would silence the other pesky voice.

"So," the creature looked him up and down, "you _can_ hear it," Danny put his arms down, just staring at the female. "That is the reason you can't stay here."

"What is it? Why is it calling out to me?"

"You need to leave," she ignored his question.

"I'm not going anywhere until you give Sam and Tucker to me."

Danny immediately split into multiple copies of himself entrapping the girl in the center of an entire army of clones that took up a great deal of the path. Each Danny held up his right hand, charged up a ghost ray, and fired it toward the female. The creature, of course, anticipated this, and jumped into the air causing the attacks to miss her, and collide with one another in a spectacular show of fireworks.

"Ha! You're not the only one with special powers!" she called as she hovered above the army.

The guardian suddenly conjured forth the shadows to do her bidding. Each looked liked a transparent ribbon of darkness, shooting forth from all directions, from any tiny crack or crevice, and wrapped themselves around each of the copies. Each struggled fruitlessly against the iron-grips of the dark ribbons holding them in place.

"What's wrong? Too much for you to handle?" she taunted.

Suddenly the girl froze in place, constricted by invisible hands. She struggled as well against Danny's telekinetic grip on her.

"It seems we're evenly matched here," spoke one of the clones.

"But not quite evenly enough," another laughed.

The invisible grip tightened around her, causing her to cry out in pain, breaking her focus and causing the shadows to relinquish their grips, freeing the many copies.

"It looks like you lose," yet another Danny spoke.

"I don't think so. I can't be beaten that easily!" she shrieked.

Ectoplasmic lightning bolts suddenly appeared, striking each Danny and making them disappear, leaving the original Danny to fall to the ground. The maze-guardian smiled sadistically as the telekinetic grip on her subsided, and her adversary struggled on the ground before her.

"You're right. It does look like we're not so evenly matched," she mocked him as she stepped by his side.

Danny snarled, his eyes glowing fiercely as he reached out and grabbed the girl by the ankle. She gasped as he pulled her into the air.

"What's going on? That move should have paralyzed you!" she stared up at him as he dragged her higher into the air.

"It looks like you underestimated my powers!"

"Well, you've certainly underestimated mine!"

She produced a sadistic, toothy grin as she once again called for the help of the shadows. The male stopped, letting go of his opponent, as a large cloud of shadows began enclosing in around him.

"Do your worst, my shadow creatures."


	15. Memories

**DGG: Sorry for the late-ish update. I had a choir concert last night. But here is the next chapter! **

**And might I just take the time to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!**

* * *

The creature grinned sadistically from above as she watched in pleasure as her minions attacked the ghost from all directions.

Danny did well at defending himself from most of them – his extra powers allowed for quicker reflexes. If one attempted to pounce on him from behind, he could sense it almost immediately, spin around, and swiftly hit it with a ghost ray. However, the shadows were everywhere, and he was unable to evade all of the attacks, and before he knew it a few more creatures jumped up and entrapped his ankles within their razor-sharp teeth.

The ghost cried out in pain before swiftly sending more ghost rays at the beasts; however, once they were disposed of, even more shadow creatures jumped up and pounced on him. They came from all angles with Danny frantically throwing out attacks as more seemed to materialize from nowhere.

"Give it up, Phantom. You'll never get through my army of shadows," the guardian sneered with her arms crossed confidently over her chest. "Tucker sure couldn't."

The boy cried out again as more of the beasts jumped on top of him, weighing him down and forcing him onto the ground, overpowering him.

"Just give up. Once they have you trapped, they'll soon just consume you in complete darkness. Just let it happen. There's nothing you can do now."

Danny wriggled and squirmed underneath the bone-crushing weight of the creatures engulfing him. He thrashed out every which way he could in an attempt to fight back; however, the shadows merely grabbed a hold of what felt like every inch of his body, pinning him to the ground and forcing him deeper into some sort of dark abyss.

No. It couldn't end like this. It wouldn't. He needed to exact his revenge. He absolutely had to bring Sam, Tuck, and Jazz back to the town! The ghost gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut as he fought against the grips of the shadows. After a few moments, Danny opened his eyes, which were now glowing their crimson color, took a deep breath, then let out the loudest, earsplitting wail imaginable.

The creature gasped as she watched the sound waves disperse from his mouth and fligh her precious creatures everywhere! When the sound reached the ears of her minions, they writhed in pain and quickly dissipated into nothingness. Soon enough all the shadow creatures were gone, and there was only one other person left in the vicinity, and that's when Danny turned his full attention on the guardian.

Now that he only had one thing to focus his attack on, the noise became all the more excruciating. She covered her ears feebly, clenched both her eyes shut, and gritted her teeth in agony. The creature pressed her hands harder up against her ears; however, it seemed no matter what she did to block out the infernal noise, the more it bore into her very being. It was deafening, and there was nothing she could do except to cover her ears.

Eventually the ear-splitting wail caused the creature to sink down onto the ground of the maze on her knees. She didn't know how much more she could take. She was already gritting her teeth so hard that she was certain her pointed fangs would all crack into dozens of pieces, and she was also certain that her eardrums were about the burst from the sound. She writhed in pain, realizing that this torture wouldn't stop until she was probably rendered unconscious.

But suddenly there was silence, and that feeling was like the heavens were shining down upon her. She didn't know whether or not she had been deafened by the sound, or if he had stopped, but either way, she was grateful she was finally at peace for the time being. She looked up, seeing that Danny had, in fact, stopped his onslaught of murderous wailing.

"Now," Danny spoke, his three voices filled with a fiery anger, "are you going to show me the other two humans I've come here for? Or do I just have to finish you off and find them myself?"

"I'm telling you, Phantom. Leave this place," the doppelganger creature hissed at him weakly.

Danny only intensified his glare.

"You're still unwilling to cooperate with me? Ridding you from all existence won't faze me at all. And I certainly won't hesitate to do so."

The creature panted as she regained her bearings from Danny's attack.

"I am the guardian of this maze. Ghosts are not meant to come through here. So leave!" she roared as best she could.

"I don't care who you are!" Danny snapped viciously, causing the other figure to reel back in terror. "I need to find Tucker and Sam, and if you will not help me, then I will gladly dispose of you."

"They're as good as dead, Phantom. I created a shadowy beast to attack Tucker not long after he entered his maze, and Sam's met with all sorts of booby traps and riddles. Thanks to you, I'm now too weak to sense anything within any of my mazes nor do I have the strength to summon up anymore traps for them, but I'm certain they're as good as dead. So go. There is nothing for you here."

The snow-haired ghost snarled, ready to attack the shadowy guardian when suddenly he snapped his head up, and he appeared to be transfixed on something further on in the maze, past the guardian who only stared at him menacingly, but too weak to do anything.

"Well, well," Danny smirked, his voices much calmer now, "it seems my clones have found them, and have made it to the end of your little maze."

The female hissed, looking slightly horrified.

"Even so, I'm sure they're barely alive just like the red-head over there!"

"I have no use for you now," Danny continued, ignoring her snap. "But since you seem so adamant on my leaving, I believe I'll just leave you to sit here as I reunite with my clones, and take my ex-friends back home for their executions."

"NO! You mustn't!" the creature begged while holding out a feeble hand.

"I'll see what you're trying to hide from me."

Danny used his powers to make his unconscious sister hover toward him, so that he could grab hold of her around the waist. Her body hung limply in his left arm as he quickly sped off past the helpless guardian down the halls of the maze.

"No! He mustn't remember! His new identity has already been set!" the creature wailed in defeat. She was much too weak from Danny's attack to actually get up. She was unable to use her shadow powers to create more booby traps and tricks to stop him from reaching the end of the maze. The creature wailed in frustration and agony as it pounded its fists onto the ground in defeat.

* * *

Sam struggled against the iron grip of Danny's clone. She'd actually thought it was the real Danny and had been trying to talk some sense into him until another Danny showed up with a badly injured Tucker in his arms at the end of the maze to their left. She was absolutely horrified by his injuries. She had garnered a few scrapes, and even a burn on her right arm from one of the traps in her section of the maze. Mainly, she had to run in order to keep her life, and nothing too terrible had happened to her. But Tucker looked like he'd been through far worse in his section. He was bloodied with cuts and scrapes all over his body, but the worst part was seeing his legs hanging limply, gnarled and twisted.

"Tuck!" she cried desperately while still trying to wriggle free from the clone's grasp. "Tuck, what happened to you? Speak to me!"

The techno-geek meekly looked up at her and gave her a weary thumbs up before seemingly passing out.

Sam closed her amethyst eyes as she once turned her full attention to the hand firmly restraining her wrist.

"Let go of me! Please! You don't want to do this! We're your friends, Danny!"

"I don't think so," a third Danny spoke darkly as he flew into the room, holding Jazz under his arm. Sam gasped as he made his way toward his two clones.

"You two look worse for wear. Trying to escape from me?" Danny asked in amusement, his extra powers having left so that now he spoke with just his voice.

"Danny…" Sam quivered with her eyes on Jazz. "What…what did you do?"

"Give me the girl," he ordered his clone.

_The box…_

The real Danny stopped. It was that voice again. The one that sounded like his.

_Open…please…_

Sam watched as her friend stood there shocked. What happened? He looked liked he'd just…well, like he'd seen a ghost.

The boy turned around, dropping the red-head onto the ground with a thud that made Sam wince.

"Return to me," he ordered his clones absently without turning around.

The other two Dannys complied wordlessly while letting go of the teens in their grasps and returning to their host. Danny didn't move. He was like as statue as he fixated his gaze curiously upon a crystalline box a few feet away from him on a pedestal.

_Open…_

The word whispered through the ghost's ears like an eerie wind. The longer he stared, the more he was compelled to obey the command. But why? He realized that the source of that strange voice seemed to be coming from the very box it was saying to open, and now that he found the voice, he felt all the more compelled to listen to it. He didn't entirely understand it; however, the one thing he did know was that the box was beckoning to him.

Sam watched with wide eyes as her friend walked slowly toward the pedestal in the center of the room. That had to be them! It had to be Danny's memories! She watched with baited breath as the ghost went to inspect the tiny box.

_Open…please…_

He stared at the crystalline box with blue, swirling tendrils inside. This thing – whatever it was – seemed familiar to him for some reason. But that was ridiculous! He'd never seen this thing before! But it was speaking to him with his own voice, and that, for whatever reason was what compelled him.

_Open…open…please…open…_

What was this? Some sort of trap? Yet he _had_ to do it. He had to listen to it. Despite the fact that he found Plasmius, and he filled in the gaps in Danny's memory, he still felt…empty. But this box, he just knew if he opened it, it would fill in that emptiness. Whether or not it was a trap, he just knew he had to open it.

He slowly plucked the box from its marble pedestal, and he felt it unlock at his touch. The teenage ghost gulped, his limbs seeming to move on their own, as he slowly opened the hinged lid.

What happened next was a spectacular light show. Sam watched in awe as the swirling, blue-smoky tendrils flew all around the ghost, entwining him in their embrace. The ghost was mildly alarmed as he watched the swirls as they slowly began constricting him. Out of fear, he began throwing attacks everywhere in an attempt to keep the tendrils at bay. Unfortunately his attacks seemed to be for naught. They dissolved in tiny clouds of smoke when they came in contact with the walls like fireballs meeting water. Danny began panicking, and if he could breathe, he knew he would be hyperventilating by this point. The blue streams began lashing out at him, threatening to touch him, and causing him to bob and weave to avoid them. Eventually two ends of light shot up out of the wall and flew directly into his temples.

"No! NO! What's happening!" Danny cried as visions flashed behind his closed eyes.

The deeper the tendrils went in, the more confusing visions he saw. What was going on? The things he was seeing couldn't possibly be real!

"Stop! STOP!" he shouted while feebly covering his temples with his hands in an attempt to cut off the stream of blue flowing into his brain.

Sam stared with her mouth agape at the scene before her. She had been hopeful that the box on the pedestal had contained Danny's lost memories, but the longer she watched, the less certain she became. He seemed as though this was torture to him. Should regaining your memories torture you like this? She wasn't sure. Then again, he had a new set of false memories that would be overruled, so maybe his old memories were a shock to the system. Sam bit her lower lip anxiously as the last of the blue ribbons were absorbed through Danny's forehead.

The ghost slumped down onto the ground. He looked rather shell-shocked and horrified and was trembling slightly at the events that had just occurred. The Goth gulped before standing up slowly and cautiously making her way toward the ghost.

"Danny?" she spoke tentatively.

"Lies," his voice cracked. "Lies…it's…all of it…lies…"

"What is?"

"The memories!" the ghost suddenly snapped while grabbing Sam by the wrist, causing her to gasp. The snow-haired ghost stood up, glared at her, then looked past her to the red-head and the male lying unconscious on the ground a few feet away.

"D-Danny…" Sam stuttered.

"Come on. I need to get you three back to Amity Park."


	16. Psych Out

**DGG: Hello, readers! I hope you all had a nice holiday and a nice break!**

**So I decided to split this chapter into two, after all, which means this adds a chapter into the story! Woo! That may be exciting news. So here is the first half of what was originally the penultimate chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Please…no more! Please!" cried Dash Baxter.

Currently it was the athlete's turn to be tormented by Maddie and her "husband." They brought him onto their platform, tied his hands behind his back, and forced him to his knees – like the ones before him – so everyone could watch as they slowly tortured him to death.

"Please," the teen squeaked while spitting out a tooth along with some blood from the newest blow he had just received. "Don't do this."

"Tell me, Dash," Maddie walked around him nonchalantly like a cop interrogating a criminal, "you picked on my son nearly every day at school, didn't you?"

"Please…"

Maddie backhanded the boy upside his left cheek, causing him to yelp in fear and pain.

"Answer me," the female continued to speak calmly while continuing to walk around the teen. "You persecuted my son every day, didn't you?"

"Not…not in a…a…I mean…Maybe we…I didn't mean anything by it!" Dash sputtered out in terror while bowing his head and clenching his eyes shut.

"You didn't mean anything by it?" she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Then why did you do it?"

"I…I don't know!" the blonde muttered quietly.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear you."

"I don't know!" he shouted.

Almost immediately after the word's left Dash's mouth, the jock cried out in pain as the woman's boot swiftly kicked him in the right side.

"That answer's not good enough!" she barked at him, while grabbing him by the hair and pulling his head up to look at her.

"Maddie, stop this!" Jack begged from behind the boy. He was still tied up on the platform, watching in horror as his wife and Plasmius were slowly taking out the citizens of Amity Park one by one.

"There had to be a reason for your inexcusable actions," Maddie continued, ignoring Jack, "so tell me why, or do you want to end up like your friend Kwan?"

"I'm going to end up like him no matter what I say!" Dash cried through clenched teeth as the female pulled his hair with more ferocity.

"Hm. The boy's not as stupid as he looks," Plasmius commented casually from his post beside Jack.

"Well then. If that's the way you feel about it," Maddie let go of him and cracked her knuckles.

"No! No, please!" Dash begged, his eyes desperate and frightened.

"You asked for it," she shrugged.

The red-head summoned forth the blue-skinned ghost in order to finish off the boy, who continued to beg and plead helplessly. He babbled nearly incoherently as he became more and more hysteric while the town in front of the platform cried out in disapproval once more, all the while knowing that they were helpless. Plasmius smirked coolly as he held up his right hand, readying himself to give the teen the final blow.

"STOP!"

Murmurs of confusion erupted from everyone they turned their attention toward the sky where they found Danny floating above them.

"Danny!" his mother smiled, all signs of animosity gone.

"Daniel, you've finally returned," Plasmius spoke in mild surprise while putting down his arm, but his surprise soon turned to confusion as the truly examined the teenage ghost. "Where are the others?"

"Change of plans, _father_," Danny narrowed his green orbs. "I found them like you wanted me to; however, they refused to come without a fight, so they got one."

"But, Danny," Maddie frowned while shaking her head slightly, "the plan was to publicly execute them for wronging us!"

"It couldn't wait," Danny shook his head with a shrug. "Don't worry though. I made sure they each died slow, agonizing deaths."

Murmurs immediately burst through the crowd at this news, with anguished cries coming from both Tuck's and Sam's parents.

"Well, Daniel, it seems we had a little change of plans as well," spoke Plasmius with a smirk as he puffed out his chest and placed his hands behind his back. Danny stared at him curiously. "We decided that your mother should be the one to kill Jack since he stole her from us."

"I see," the teen ghost spoke slowly while raising an eyebrow. "But I was supposed to do it."

"Yes. Well, that's why it's a change of plans."

"But I should be the one to do it, right? He…he broke up our family," Danny's eyes darted around the area nervously.

"Oh, Danny. Don't worry. You'll still be able to wreak some havoc. But if you really wanted to kill someone in front of the entire town, then you should have brought those three here instead of offing them in the Ghost Zone," Maddie reprimanded her son. "But if you want, we can let you take care of Dash. He bullied you every day. I'm sure it will feel good to exact some revenge on him."

Danny looked down at the quivering blonde on the platform who stared back up at him with tears in his eyes.

"Yeah. Okay."

"Fenton, no!" cried Dash. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! Please don't do this! Please!"

"It's too late now, Dash," spoke Maddie as she and Plasmius stepped to the side to allow Danny room in front of his former tormentor. "You'll soon pay for making my baby boy so miserable every day."

"P-please! I…I…come on, Fenton. I…you know it didn't really mean anything! Just…please!" Dash stuttered.

"Don't worry, Dash. This won't hurt a bit."

Dash's eyes were a mixture of fear and pleading as he stared up into Danny's green orbs.

"I promise," the ghost spoke seriously.

The white-haired boy held up his gloved right hand, and Dash closed his eyes to await the final blow. The teen fired up a ghost ray, made a sideways glance back at his mother and Plasmius, then suddenly whipped around and switched his target to his "father". Plasmius had no time to react before the attack hit him, sending him flying across the platform onto his back. The crowd gasped as they watched with wide, shocked, fascinated eyes.

"F-Fenton," Dash stuttered in shock and relief with a small, grateful smile on his face as he looked back to the ghost.

"Danny! What did you do?" Maddie cried in horror as she went running toward the other ghost.

"Mom, no!" Danny barked as he held out his right hand, stopping his mother from reaching Plasmius with the help of his telekinetic powers. "Don't go near him."

"Danny, you just attacked your father!" the red-head turned around and gaped at her son.

"Mom, listen to me! He's not my father."

"What? What are you talking about?" she raised an eyebrow.

"He's my father," Danny motioned toward Jack who also smiled at him gratefully.

"What!" Maddie nearly chuckled. "Jack most certainly is _not_ your father."

"Mom, just listen," Danny flew to his mother and stood in front of her. "You're not married to Plasmius. You were never married to him. You married Jack Fenton after college. Together, you have two children – Jazz and me."

The red-head shook her head while staring at her song quizzically.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"Maddie," Plasmius sat up stiffly, not wanting the female's true memories to resurface. "He's confused. Something must have happened to him in the Ghost Zone."

"Something happened to me there, all right," Danny turned to his right to glare at Plasmius. "It happened a year ago. You found me and filled my head with lies."

"Danny, let's not be too hasty here," Plasmius spoke between clenched teeth.

"You lied to me! You found that my body had no memories of my previous life, so you used that to your advantage! I'm not your son. I'm Danny Fenton, and I have been ever since I was born."

"Danny!" cried his mother, aghast.

"My friends helped me to find my lost memories. If they hadn't have done that, then I'd still be your murderous, revenge-seeking little puppet!"

"I knew it!" Dash cried. "I knew there was something wrong with Fenton!"

Suddenly the older ghost began laughing, causing everyone to exchange confused glances with one another.

"What's so funny?" Danny asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"You think this changes anything, Daniel?" Plasmius smirked as he stood up, dusting off his white suit. "I will still have my revenge on this town for what I've been put through."

"Amity Park never did anything to you! You tried to enslave them, and I stopped you. If you want to take out your anger on someone, then take it out on me and me alone!" Danny seethed at the older ghost, who merely chuckled in return. "What now?"

"Don't you see, boy? I am! I'm hurting those closest to you!" Plasmius motioned toward the town. "What better way to hurt you than to hurt your beloved town, and to force you to harm them as well."

"What's going on here?" Maddie looked between the two ghosts with a frown, her brows furrowed.

"Just leave, Plasmius. Release the control you have over my mom and just go," Danny ordered.

"I don't think so. As long as Maddie is still on my side, then I'm still the victor in this situation."

"You created an elaborate lie!" the teen pointed at him menacingly. "You had me believing them, and you're forcing my mom to believe them too! Just leave. There's nothing more to gain here."

"I beg to differ, Danny. There is everything to gain. Don't you get it? We're both ghosts now. Our rivalry will never end. We will go on like this forever."

Danny shook his head.

"Not if I can help it."

The raven-haired ghost huffed before launching an all-out assault on Danny. He gasped, using his force field to protect himself and the people on stage behind him.

"I don't want to fight anymore!" Danny shouted, letting his field down.

"But you must, Daniel. That's our destinies."

Plasmius leapt forward and tackled the boy, sending both of them careening into the street below the platform. Once they were fighting below, Sam jumped out of the shadows and onto the platform where she untied both Dash and Jack.

"Sam!" cried the ghost hunter. "I thought…"

"Don't worry. It was just a story he made up to keep up appearances for the moment."

"So where's the other two?" asked Dash.

"They're hurt badly. Not by Danny's doing," she added quickly at their horrified expressions. "I'll have to explain later, but just know that they are safe."

"Good," Jack stood up, wincing a bit from the bruises he endured from Maddie's kicks earlier.

"What can we do to help?" asked the blonde teen.

"You and the rest of the town should do whatever you can to help Danny. We'll try to get Mrs. Fenton back to normal."

"Got it," he nodded. "Everybody!" Dash turned his attention toward the crowd watching the ghosts fight. "Grab whatever you can. We need to help out Fenton. Got it? Do whatever you can and whatever you have to!"

The crowd seemed a bit reluctant at first, but once a few brave souls went charging in to help out, others soon followed. They grabbed what weapons they could find that were still in one piece, or just grabbed a simple limb or rock, and went running into battle. The rest of the ghosts watched from the sky as the citizens of Amity Park began a new riot, and they gulped as they recalled the last two battles against the people.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Plasmius shouted at them as he threw attacks at the onslaught of humans attempting to attack him. "Do something! Subdue them! Do what you must! Don't just hover there!"

Skulker shook his head numbly.

"No. I told you before all this started that we were wary of coming back here. You assured us Danny would remain on our side. We won't be defeated like this again. You're on your own this time, Plasmius."

With those words, Skulker and the rest of the ghosts turned and swiftly took off for the Ghost Zone, not wanting anymore to do with the plan. Plasmius watched them in utter disgust and horror. They would dare to abandon him now? He gritted his teeth venomously. He would not lose again!


	17. Destined for Eternity

**DGG: Hey, everyone! I said this on my profile earlier this week, but just on the off-chance that you don't read it (but I know everyone secretly does...), I'm really sorry I haven't updated in forever. I was going through my own person problems, and I was freakishly depressed, so...yeah. Everyone had to suffer because of it apparently. But just as I promised, I have this lovely post ready! AND it's longer. Seriously. When I split this and the last chapter, this was only about four pages long. Now it's nine pages long. Nine-ish, I guess. It only had one sentence on page nine, so yeah. Hopefully a longer post semi makes up for the break I took. No? Understandable.**

**So here's chapter seventeen! Enjoy!**

* * *

Danny was doing well at not actually fighting with his rival for the moment. Mainly he was just trying to make sure Plasmius didn't do any real harm to anyone, which was a bit more difficult for the ghost. Danny was happy everyone wanted to help him, but they were easy for Plasmius to target. The older ghost easily picked them up and threw them away like pieces of trash, and Danny had to work overtime in making sure that he could catch them without any of them getting hurt.

"How long do you think you can keep this up?" Plasmius taunted as he eyed the teenage ghost.

"For as long as I have to," Danny answered simply.

Plasmius chuckled to himself.

"What's so funny?"

"Even in death, you're still so very naïve."

Danny deepened his glare at the cocky male a few feet away from him.

"Do you really think you can defeat me, Daniel?" Plasmius suddenly averted his attention over his left shoulder and smirked as he quickly transported out of the way, confusing the poor person who was attempting a sneak attack on him. The man fumbled in his footing as his target disappeared and quickly reappeared behind him. Plasmius locked his left arm around the terrified male's neck like a vice while holding the top of his head with his other hand.

"Let him go!" hissed Danny, readying to attack.

"Or else what? I found you as no threat while we were living. Do you think that's changed now that we've died?"

"You didn't find me as a threat?" gawked the teen. "You wanted me dead all because of a prophecy! A prophecy that wouldn't have even come true in the first place had you not tried to stop it from happening! And even after I ran away, you still tried offing me to make sure that I wouldn't come back to stop you from enslaving my hometown! And this time you fed me lies because as long as I was on your side I was no threat to you! So do you really expect me to believe that I was no threat to you?"

"Be careful, Danny. I don't think it wise to make me mad with this man's life hanging in the balance," the male whimpered as Plasmius tightened his grip around his neck.

"Let him go, Plasmius. He has nothing to do with this!"

"That's where you're wrong, Daniel. Everyone in this town has wronged me, and I won't rest until they've all been punished!"

"I won't tell you again. Let him go," Danny ordered while emphasizing every word in his last sentence.

"And again I say: or else what?"

"Or you'll answer to me."

"Do you think that frightens me?" Plasmius raised an amused eyebrow.

A sudden blow from behind caused the blue-skinned ghost to yelp and release his captor. The teenage ghost reacted quickly, using his telekinetic powers to move the frightened man out of the evil ghost's reach as well as placing a force field around himself and Plasmius so that Plasmius couldn't attack anyone else. The older ghost snarled as he glowered at Danny before whipping around to see who had attacked him, only to find yet another Danny.

"A clone," he remarked. "Those extra powers I gave you must really be working for you," he turned his attention back toward the original. "You split yourself in no time at all. I didn't even have time to sense anything else behind me. Impressive."

"I don't take that as a compliment coming from you," Danny frowned as his clone returned to him.

* * *

On the wooden platform, Sam and Jack were still attempting to help a very confused Maddie.

"Mrs. Fenton," Sam prodded the older female.

"Maddie, are you okay?" asked Jack as he placed his right hand on her left shoulder.

"I…I don't understand…why are Danny and Vlad fighting? We're a family. What's going on?" she babbled to herself with her head in her hands while staring at the ground as though it entranced her.

"You guys aren't Vlad's family," Sam shook her head with a frown. "You have to remember! Vlad is actually evil. He's hypnotized you _again_!"

"Yeah, Maddie. _We_ got married right after graduating from college. Jasmine is our daughter, and Danny is our son. Don't you remember?" the male shook her.

"I married Vlad not you!" she suddenly screamed, throwing his large hands off her while backing away.

"Maddie," he frowned.

"No, you married him!" Sam motioned to Jack desperately. "You were never with Plasmius. He lied to you. You have to remember, Mrs. Fenton! He came here over a year ago spewing lies about Danny in the first place! He turned the entire town against him – he turned _you_ against him – before any of you even knew it was Danny you were all searching for! Danny ran away because of him! Don't you remember the pain you felt because of that?"

"Vlad would never…" the words got caught in her throat as she shook her head.

"It's all true, Maddie," Jack spoke calmly while taking a step forward. "Vladdie wasn't who we thought he was. Danny died while fighting him last year. They both died. Now Danny's back, and he needs your help. He needs our help."

The female ghost hunter held her head in her hands again.

"Please remember," Jack begged, taking another tentative step toward his wife.

"You…" tears were spilling from her eyes now. "You killed Vlad and Jazz helped to get Danny killed. _You_ helped to get him killed!" she suddenly rounded on the Goth.

"No, Maddie," Jack shook his head while stepping in between the two females. "We did no such thing. We would never do something like that. You know that. You know that I'm not that kind of person, Maddie. Vlad has you believing the lies he made up. You have to block out his lies and remember what's real!"

"What's…real?" she crinkled her brow.

"Yes, Maddie. Please!" he outstretched his right hand toward her.

"No…you…we…we were never…" she babbled.

"Maddie, please. Vlad is the jealous one, not me. We're married. We have two children! We made a life together as a family. We hunted ghosts, we created all sorts of technology specifically to hunt ghosts! Vlad came in with his lies over a year ago, Maddie. This is all because of him. Danny is dead because of him! You have to remember! All the nonstop pain we felt because of his death this past year, that was all Vlad's doing!"

Maddie whimpered, her face looking pained as her emotions conflicted with one another inside.

"Mrs. Fenton, you have to believe us," Sam spoke up as she stepped out from behind the large male. "I've known you practically my entire life, and so has Tuck. We're Danny's best friends, and we would never let anything terrible happen to him on purpose. You know we wouldn't. And neither would Jazz! You have to remember! We were all like family to you. Plasmius poisoned your mind with lies just like he did to Danny. You have to break free! Danny needs your help right now! Please, you have to remember!"

Jack couldn't take anymore. Seeing his wife in such pain tore at his heartstrings and he did the only logical thing he knew how – he grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her. The red-head resisted at first, attempting to shove him away; however, he was obviously much larger than her, and eventually she gave up her attempts, but as time went on she began to ease into it. She even wrapped her arms affectionately around his neck and returned the passionate kiss. Sam watched on in mild disgust until the two finally broke from the kiss.

"Jack!" she smiled while looking at him brightly.

"Maddie! Are you back to normal?" he asked, a wide smile on his face as well.

"Yeah, I just…how could…?" she crinkled her brow.

"He brainwashed you or something. I was hoping that would work to break through to you."

"It certainly did," she purred.

"Okay, guys. Not to break up the romantic moment or anything, but Danny still needs help," Sam pointed out.

"Danny!" cried Maddie as she stepped back and suddenly pulled on the hood of her blue jumpsuit. "Come on, Jack. Let's make Plasmius pay for all the pain he's put our family through."

* * *

"Really, Daniel, just accept it," Plasmius sent another attack at the teen.

"No! I'm tired of fighting with you! I'm not going to do this for the rest of eternity!" Danny deflected the ray up toward the sky.

"We were destined for this."

"You have no idea what we're destined for," the teenage ghost shook his head. "Our prophecies didn't say anything about what happens after our deaths."

"Perhaps not, but we were obviously meant to battle forever or else we both wouldn't have become full ghosts," Plasmius gave Danny a swift kick to the gut, which sent him flying backwards and landing with a thud on the ground.

This caused Danny to let his force field down, and immediately the citizens of Amity Park rushed at the evil ghost once more. They grabbed onto him in an attempt to restrain him, a few brave souls even throwing a few punches here and there.

"You really don't think you all have a chance against me, do you?" Plasmius asked drolly before flinging them every which way, sending them crashing to the ground. He chuckled.

"Leave them alone!" cried Danny defensively as he stood back up.

"Or else what?" the older ghost challenged.

"Or else you'll have to deal with me!"

Plasmius raised his eyebrows as he turned around to find Maddie ready to strike.

"Maddie? What are you doing?" he asked, genuinely seeming surprised.

"I know what you are Plasmius. And I know what you've done. You made me believe that Jack and Jazz were the enemies while you made me believe that I married you!" the woman cried.

"No! They were able to break my spell!" Plasmius growled under his breath.

"How dare you?" she hissed.

"How dare I? Maybe because I was robbed of the love of my life all thanks to Jack's bumbling in the lab! Maybe because I deserved better than this!" he motioned to his ghostly form.

"You didn't need to use your powers for evil. You're a monster, and I could never love someone like you!" the female shook her head.

"Maddie, I'm hurt," Plasmius frowned. "But if that's truly the way you feel about it…"

"Don't you dare hurt my mom!" Danny snarled from behind him.

"Come now, Danny," the red-eyed ghost smirked as he turned his attention back toward Danny. "I would never physically hurt her. You know me well enough by now to know that."

"Well trust me. You've succeeded in hurting me emotionally on more than one occasion," the female ghost hunter snarled causing the ghost to look back at her with a frown.

"Think fast, Maddie!" cried Jack as he barreled into the ghost from behind.

Plasmius went flying toward the female, who quickly spun around and kicked him to the ground. Once he was on his back again, a new group of people ran over, practically dog piling the ghost as they attempted to attack him.

"Nice one, Mom," Danny smiled.

"Thanks, Sweetie," she smiled back.

"Guys, something's happening!" Sam pointed toward Plasmius from the platform.

The three Fentons turned their attention toward the huge rush of people just as streams of light began showing through from underneath them. The family gasped as Plasmius used his powers to blow everyone off him into the air. Jack and Maddie scrambled to catch anyone while Danny quickly used his telekinesis to stop everyone in midair before they could hit the ground. He just began to lower them down safely when Plasmius tackled him, breaking his concentration and allowing the citizens to fall again. Danny and Plasmius landed with a thud a few feet away, the older ghost pinning the younger one to the ground.

"Why are you doing this?" Danny struggled against his grip. "We have nothing left to fight about!"

"You always seem to get the best of me," snarled Plasmius. "No matter what I do! I'm sick of it, Daniel. I mean, a mere child thwarting my plans? That's just ludicrous."

"Maybe if me and my friends can defeat you, then it's your plans that are flawed!" Danny roared back.

"Clever. Did you come up with that one all by yourself?"

"Fine. I get it. You lost my mom to my dad. My dad has the family you always wanted with my mom. I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you wanted them to. Things didn't exactly go like I thought they would either. But you don't see me being bitter about it!"

"You're young, Daniel. And filled with a sense of justice. Using your powers for good," Plasmius paused to make a face of disgust. "See how far that got you?"

"Well, you chose to use your powers for evil and look how far that got you! You're still bitter and alone. It brought you nothing but more unhappiness!"

Plasmius hissed as he picked up the teen and threw him into the side of the wooden platform, causing a few support beams to splinter from the force.

"Danny!" cried his parents as they rushed toward him.

"I don't think so," Plasmius split himself into three, his two clones quickly restraining the worried couple.

"Danny!" Jack cried.

"Don't hurt him!" Maddie struggled to break free.

"You know nothing of how I've spent the last twenty years of my life!" Plasmius cried, his full attention back on his foe.

"You spent it alone, wallowing in your own self pity. Not hard to understand at all," Danny attempted to stand, but was met with a furious kick to the back from his arch-rival, sending him crashing back to the ground.

"Danny, no!" his mother cried as she and her husband still attempted to break free from the clones' grasps.

"I think it in your best interests to learn when to keep your mouth shut," seethed Plasmius.

"Why?" Danny grunted. "Am I hitting too close to home?"

Another attack from Plasmius suddenly sent the boy careening back into the platform at full-force, causing more support beams to break. The ghost boy grimaced at the pain emanating from his side. He really found it amazing how many nerve endings he could still have even though he was a ghost now. Every time he moved his side sent out excruciating waves of pain throughout his entire body. Apparently Plasmius had struck him just right.

As Danny struggled to get back up, the stage behind him started growing more uneasy with all the support beams it lost from its side. It began wobbling to and fro in the slight breeze, causing its lone occupant to struggle to keep her balance.

"Danny!" Sam cried as she stumbled around on the creaky wooden floor.

Her voice immediately caused the boy to snap his eyes open. Sam! He whipped his head around so that he was looking up at the shaky contraption beside him.

"Worried about your little friend?" taunted the serpent-like ghost. "Think you can save her before she hits the ground?" Danny turned his head to give the older male a glare. "I'll take that as a sign that you accept the challenge. Let's see what you can do."

"No!" cried Danny as Plasmius opened fire on the stage.

Everyone watched in horror as the platform started to topple, sending the Goth plummeting toward the ground with it.

"Sam!" cried her terrified parents as they ran helplessly toward the stage.

Plasmius floated into the air, a smirk on his face as he watched everyone scramble to do something. Danny forced himself up, jumping into the air, and flying toward his best friend.

"I don't think so," Plasmius suddenly grabbed the boy just as he was about to reach the teen.

"Let go of me!" Danny roared, his eyes suddenly flashing a crimson color as he called upon his extra powers for help. "LET GO!"

He sent out a shockwave that sent Plasmius flying backward, and once he was free, he quickly sped off to retrieve his best friend. Sam screamed as she plummeted. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the sudden stop; however, she was pleasantly surprised when someone caught her. She opened her amethyst orbs to find that she was in Danny's arms. The female was just about to open her mouth to thank her hero when the ghost stopped abruptly due to a circle of Plasmius' clones suddenly surrounding them.

"Tell me you can handle this," Sam spoke, her eyes wide as she looked into Danny's.

"No problem," he answered.

"We'll see," grinned one of the many clones as they all began to attack.

A few shot various ghost rays while others simply flew full-force toward the two teens. Danny grit his teeth as Sam latched onto him tighter.

"Not that you don't know what you're doing, but now would be a really good time to do something!" she cried.

"Don't worry," he smiled.

Immediately, the boy focused his energies, creating a force field to deflect all the attacks. The ghost rays were deflected in various directions. Some collided with a few clones, a few others headed toward the ground, sending the people of Amity Park scattering.

"Danny!" Sam's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

The surprised ghost followed his friend's gaze, and he gasped when he saw where he involuntarily sent the deflected attacks.

"Danny, we have to do something!" shouted Sam.

The boy nodded, lowering his force field; however, as soon as he tried to move, the multiple copies of Plasmius immediately attacked him again from all angles. As the people below screamed and fled while dodging the redirected attacks, Danny and Sam received blows from anywhere and everywhere from the multitude of clones. Punches to the jaw, kicks to the back, hits to the sides. The two screamed, causing the crowd to turn their attention back toward the sky.

"Danny, no!" cried Maddie, still restrained by another of Plasmius' clones.

"Samantha!" cried the Goth's mother.

"Come on!" Dash shouted. "We can't just stand around! We have to do something!"

"Like what? We can't do anything. We're just…sitting ducks," spoke a blonde female in the crowd.

"I don't know. But they need our help up there. Just grab stones or something and start throwin' 'em!" the jock ordered as he picked up the nearest blunt object he could find and threw it toward the horde of blue-skinned ghosts.

Soon others followed suit, and everyone started throwing anything they could get their hands on. With the clones' attentions diverted from being hit by random objects, Danny was able to throw a few punches himself. Only a couple clones disappeared, returning to their host, but it wasn't enough.

The slight help from the citizens wasn't quite cutting it, and Danny and Sam still received attacks from all angles. Eventually the attacks ceased as all the copies disappeared. Confused, the two injured teens looked around only to find the original Plasmius barreling toward them. There was no time to react before he collided into them, sending them both sailing toward the ground below. The two both gritted their teeth as Danny flipped himself around so that when they hit the ground, he would receive the brunt of the impact. When they hit the pavement, Sam ended up flying out of Danny's arms, landing a few feet away; however, the tiny crystalline box, which Danny had taken from the maze before they left, flew out of his pocket, landing with the lid open right next to the ghost.

Danny groaned as the box seemed to activate and began stealing his memories from him again. Sam lifted her head sorely, blinking so that her vision would clear, but what she saw made her gasp.

"No! Danny!" she somehow hoisted herself to her feet and began limping as fast as she could to his side where she flipped the box closed, ceasing its attack and leaving Danny's memories within his head. The boy groaned again as he opened his eyes. "Danny I told you it wasn't a good idea to take this thing! It nearly sucked out your memories aga…" she stopped abruptly as an idea struck her.

"What?" he raised an eyebrow at her as Plasmius lowered himself gently onto the ground.

"Plasmius has a lot of painful memories, right?"

"Yeah…so?"

"So maybe it would be better if he couldn't remember them," Sam smiled, her eyes flitting down at the box.

Danny caught onto her hints, a small smile forming on his own face.

"Do you think it'll work?"

"It's worth a shot, right?"

"Are you two lovebirds done?" asked Plasmius, a tone of annoyance showing in his voice. "I'm on a bit of a tight schedule here. I have a lot of destruction to cause, and the sooner I defeat you, the quicker I can get back to that."

Danny glowered at the older male as he picked up the box and threw it toward him.

"Think fast!" he cried.

The red-eyed ghost caught the delicate box, whose lid had popped open during its small flight, looking flummoxed.

"You know you can't defeat me, so you decide to give me your antiques?" he raised an eyebrow.

Danny smirked.

"Not exactly."

Plasmius once again looked to the box suddenly becoming transfixed by the inside of it. He had no reason to be. It was a see-through box. There was nothing in it, and there was nothing interesting about it, yet there was something about it that was so hypnotizing that he just couldn't take his gaze off it. Everyone watched in curiosity as he brought the box up closer to his face.

A buzzing started in the older ghost's ears, and it grew louder and louder the longer he kept his gaze in the box. The noise was nearly unbearable, and he knew it all had to do with this odd fixation, yet he couldn't tear his eyes away no matter how hard he tried!

"What's going on?" he demanded. "What have you done?"

Everyone watched in amazement as red, smoky tendrils seemed to be pulled out of the blue ghost's head. The smoke whipped every which way, yet it had no choice but to be sucked into the box in Plasmius' palms. As the red streams were sucked through the ghost's temples, his last two clones, which were holding back Jack and Maddie, let go of them in an attempt to help their host; however, the box sent out a tiny power surge, disintegrating the two clones so they couldn't interfere with what it was doing. A few more moments passed before the last of the tendrils left Plasmius' skull and were trapped in the box with the lid automatically snapping shut once it was finished.

Everyone held their breath as Plasmius stood there looking aroud in a sort of daze at everyone.

"What happened? Where am I? Who am I?" he asked. The people surrounding the area backed away, afraid that he was going to attack, which only confused the raven-haired ghost more. "What's the matter? Have I done something wrong?"

"None of that matters," Danny stepped up and plucked the crystal box out of the other ghost's hands with a smile. "All that matters is where you're going."

"Going?" he raised an eyebrow. "I was going somewhere?"

"Sam," the teen looked over his shoulder, "do the honors."

"Gladly," she smiled as she pulled the Fenton Thermos out from behind her back, uncapped it, and sucked the perplexed ghost inside.

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**DGG: Just one chapter to go! Stay tuned!**


	18. At Ease

**DGG: Ah, here we are. The last chapter. Just in time for the holiday season! **

**I'd like to thank all my lovely readers, reviewers, and story followers for being so patient with me, and for sticking with it until the very end! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing/editing it!**

* * *

"Clockwork?" Danny blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I just had to come here and make sure you were back to normal, and might I just say that it's good to see you back to your old self," Clockwork smiled, speaking calmly as usual as he floated casually through Danny's room at Fenton Works.

"It's good to be back," admitted the teenage ghost as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I have a feeling that you're not just here to check up on me."

Clockwork smirked coolly as he shifted to an old man.

"You think I have ulterior motives for being here?"

"You of all ghosts should have already known I was back to normal. There was no need to actually come here yourself," Danny pointed out.

The time-wielding ghost's smirk turned into a warm smile.

"You know me well, Danny."

"So what's up?"

"It's been several weeks since your last tussle with Plasmius, since you took his memories," the ghost's eyes darted toward Danny's top dresser drawer.

Danny remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"As the person who robbed him of his memories, they are now your responsibility to protect and ensure that they do not fall back into Plasmius' hands. And I think they deserve a little more protection than what a sock drawer can give them."

"I…didn't know what else to do with them," the teenage ghost admitted sheepishly.

"Danny, you live in a home practically made of ghostly weapons and defense systems, and you're telling me that you had no way of better protecting that vessel?" Clockwork raised an eyebrow as his age shifted to that of a small child.

"Hey! I'm not perceptive sometimes! Besides, I've had my mind on other things…"

"Ah, yes. Your sister and your friend in the hospital. I know. However, you must realize the great responsibility you unwittingly brought upon yourself. You can't just leave those memories alone unless you are absolutely sure they will be safe. Perhaps Plasmius happened to float through here? If he remembers everything, you'll be sunk."

"What are the odds of him actually coming back here now though?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"It's possible. Do you remember how you felt before you found your memories, and before Plasmius found you? You felt as though you were looking for something, and you were. Although you were unaware of it, you were searching for your memories, and that's how Plasmius is now. He is searching for them. They are beckoning to him from afar. Although they cannot directly communicate with Plasmius, they are still calling out to him, and he senses it, just as you sensed yours. He may or may not end up back in Amity Park, and if he does, you'll need to see to it that you can get him away from here as quickly as you can."

"But when I was in the same vicinity as my memories, I couldn't leave," the boy shook his head.

"Exactly," Clockwork nodded while shifting age again. "That's why they need better protection."

"I guess I see your point."

"I'd hope so."

"What do you suggest?" Danny asked.

"I'd suggest that you talk with your parents. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help make sure Plasmius never gets his hands back on those memories. I'm sure they could help find a way to protect them."

"So was he right? Are Plasmius and me really locked in a never ending battle?" the boy's shoulders slumped.

"Not anymore," Clockwork's words caused Danny to brighten slightly. "Plasmius was a prisoner of his own memories. You see, some ghosts just shouldn't be allowed to keep their memories, Danny. While some, like the guardian of the maze, believes that no ghosts should remember who they were previously, I believe that there are exceptions. Like you for instance. In fact, you're more preferable with your memories than without," Danny gave a nervous chuckle and cast his green orbs away at that. Clockwork continued, shifting age once more. "Plasmius however, is the opposite. Since he no longer remembers, he is no longer a threat to you. He can't fight you if he doesn't remember you were enemies."

"Which is a good thing," the teen gave a small smile.

"Yes. Never let him find those, Danny. If he finds it…"

"Then we'll be right back where we started."

Clockwork nodded, his form changing again.

"Well, at least I have purpose in my afterlife," Danny chuckled while rubbing his left arm nervously.

"And an important one at that," Clockwork frowned seriously. "Keeping his memories locked up won't just be beneficial for you, but for Amity Park or anywhere. He likes to cause a lot of destruction. This way he is less likely to do so."

"Wait a second!" Danny's green orbs bulged suddenly. "What if he runs into someone who tells him who he was or how he was or something! What if they tell him what happened and send him right to me?"

"That's why you need to protect the memories; however, most of the ghosts were not willing to partner up with Plasmius for a third time. They were afraid you would come to your senses. They feared you and your extra powers. After two defeats at the hands of those powers, they had had enough. There will always be ghosts who want to cause trouble, but for the time being, I doubt any of them will remind Plasmius of who he was or direct him to where he can find out. But you'll still want to be prepared, just in case."

"That's a relief," Danny calmed down. "I'll get on that. Um…thanks."

"No need to thank me. I'm just doing all I can to help," the ghost shifted age once more.

"No, I mean, thanks for sending me to find my memories. You directed me straight to them. Without that, I don't think I'd have ever found my friends, and I'd still be stuck as a murderous, revenge-filled death machine."

"Like I said, there's no need to thank me. I was just doing all I could to help," the master of time smiled. "I told you we were allies, and I meant it. We may have had some misunderstandings here and there in the past, but that happens between friends every once and awhile, doesn't it?"

"Thank-you," the teen smiled gratefully.

"Don't mention it," Clockwork looked out the window. "I see everyone is out of the hospital now. I suppose you shouldn't keep them waiting."

"Yeah! And don't worry. I'll make sure Plasmius' memories don't end up back in the wrong hands."

"See that you don't, Danny."

* * *

"Danny!" cried Tuck on the sidewalk. "You're still here! I mean…I just…it's you!"

"Duh. I don't plan on going anywhere," Danny laughed, but his laughter dissipated upon closer inspection of his friends and sister. "Look. I'm really sorry for all of this. You guys didn't have to risk your lives for me."

"Danny, I'd much rather have you around than the use of my legs," Tuck motioned toward his wheelchair. "You're more important than walking."

"And I'll get these stitches removed soon," smiled Jazz. "And my shoulder is nearly healed."

"Sure the stitches'll be gone, but you're going to have scars everywhere, Jazz. Your face, your arms, legs, sides. That maze guardian really did a number on you," the ghost frowned.

"Hey, we knew before going into that maze that we may not come back out. We knew it would be dangerous. Besides, you can always treat scars. And even if I don't, I'll be proud to wear them because they mean that I loved my little brother enough to help him remember who he really was. So don't worry about it, Danny. Like Tuck said, you're worth it."

The ghost boy burst out into a wide smile as he embraced his older sister.

"You know, I kind of feel guilty," Sam suddenly piped up, catching everyone's attention. "I was barely injured by the maze compared to the two of you."

"Hey, you apparently picked the right path. I had a gigantic monster chasing me from the moment I stepped into my side. If it wasn't for that tree crushing me, I'd probably still have working legs," frowned the tech-geek.

"I still feel terrible," Sam frowned.

"Well, quit," Jazz placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault. You had your own challenges in that section, and you're lucky you came out of it alive. We're all lucky we managed to get out of there alive."

"Besides, have you seen yourself, Sam? You got a pretty good beating during that fight with Plasmius. You're still covered in bruises. I remember Danny telling us about how all those clones attacked you guys. So you got just as beat up as us, just a little later," pointed out Tuck with a wink.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" the Goth rounded on Tucker, placing her hands on her hips.

"I can see it's not working!" Tuck laughed.

"Guys, come on. We're not here to fight with each other," Danny stepped in.

"Nope. I believe we're here to celebrate the most important thing, and that is that we have Danny back," smiled Tuck.

"Definitely," Sam brightened as she walked over beside Danny so that he could place his arm around her shoulders.

"It's good to be back," Danny looked to each of them. "I remember when I first woke up in the Ghost Zone, before I had any memories at all. I was so lost and empty. It's good to have found what I was looking for. But, guys, promise me one thing."

"Sure thing, Danny," piped up his sister.

"Never try to save my afterlife again," he smiled.

"Deal," agreed Tuck. "I don't know how much more of that we could take anyway."

Jazz laughed, "Yeah, it was definitely an ordeal. But it was worth it in the end. You're back, and that's what matters."

Sam nodded in agreement.

"So…Danny," Tuck spoke mischievously, "you can possess inanimate objects, right?"

"Why?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Because you could totally possess my wheelchair and zip me down the street or something. It'd be awesome!"

"Tuck!" Sam playfully scolded her friend.

"Seriously!" he laughed while holding his hands up in mock defense.

Danny laughed as well.

"Maybe later. For now I think all I want to do is chill out here on the front steps with you guys, like the old days."

And so the gang just sat outside the Fenton home and talked. Everyone mainly filled Danny in on what had been happening throughout the previous year. They joked, they laughed, they were comfortable. After a year of feeling tortured and alone, Danny was finally at ease again. He was where he belonged and where he needed to be – among friends and family. Friends and family who would risk anything for him, no less. He wasn't sure what he had done to deserve such loyalty, but he was grateful for it all the same. Finally he didn't have to fight anymore. He could just hang out without the threat of the ghosts always looming overhead.

He was happy.

He was home.

Nothing could destroy this happiness.

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**DGG: And there you have it. The end of another story. Again, many thanks to my reviewers and to any future reviewers. You have all been a lovely people! Happy Christmas and Merry Holidays to all! Thanks for reading!**


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